Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Clumber Spaniel

Nice:



I've never seen this breed before, but I like it: handsome and noble. Spaniels don't make my heart go pitter pat, but maybe the Clumber Spaniel does. They have superior noses. They are bred to be low to the ground, to go through brush and not over it, so as to flush pheasant and such into the air. Their skin gives with the branches and obstacles they encounter: perfect for crashing into brush and such w/o injury. Their mouths are soft, so as not to damage the game (does lead to drooling). The Working Clumber Spaniel Society:
"The most hansomest animal this kingdom ever produced"
-The Modern Clumber 1865.

During 2003 there were 134 Clumber Spaniels registered in Britain. Compare this with 12,000 Springer Spaniels and 13,000 Cocker Spaniels registered annually and you will realise that this is not a common breed. The Clumber Spaniel has however, been part of the British sporting scene for over 200 years. Once the favourite of dukes and kings they take their name from Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire. Although not the speediest of spaniels they were highly prized as game finders.

[...] The coat is white with lemon or orange head markings, abundant and straight, with feathering around the legs. They have a steady reliable character, are stoical, great-hearted and highly intelligent and are known for being silent workers with excellent noses.
[...]
The Working Clumber Spaniel Society formed in 1984 is the force behind the breed's revival as a genuine gundog bred for the field. It exists to represent those whose first interest in Clumber spaniels is that of working them.
[...]
Every owner of a working Clumber soon discovers that the chuckles of his shooting friends turn to admiration when "that funny white dog" finds game missed by other dogs.



h/t - for introducing me both to Clumber Spaniels and to the linked blogpost below, to Bird Dog.



Seems to fit here:
a British-y post,
by an American,
Enough is as good as a feast.

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