Hunting for Raccoons and Ribbons with Border Terriers

Karen Fitzpatrick with one of her Meadowlake Border Terriers.

Host Laura Reeves is joined by Karen Fitzpatrick from Meadowlake Border  Terriers to talk about hunting raccoons and ribbons.

“My background honestly was straight hunting,” Fitzpatrick said. “I hunted long before I ever bought a Border. I started here in the US and then started hunting in the UK, met people there. I just love the hunting aspect of Border Terriers.

“Border Terriers are still very high on the list for hunting instinct and actually are still made to do the job they were bred to do.

“In the middle of winter, we did a lot of barn hunting, and that was just literally clearing out haylofts of raccoons. In this deep, deep snow like today, you would hit a big barn, cut a few terriers loose in a loft and woo, come on. It was crazy.

“We did a lot of in ground hunting during the spring and fall, but we tried to not do too much in the spring, mostly because of a lot of groundhogs having babies. Fall is the better time because they’re big and fat and getting ready to hibernate and the holes are bigger.”

Fitzpatrick has produced 170 champions and 12 best in show winning Border Terriers, including the top winning bitch in the breed. She was named AKC’s Sport Breeder of the Year in 2014 and Terrier Breeder of the Year in 2018, one of a handful of breeders honored in both conformation and performance.

“They have to be able to function and do their job and my belief, back then as it is today, they can be beautiful and still do their job and that is what I have absolutely brought through and I will continue it.”