Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Tuesday, December 8. 2009

Dog du jour: Clumber Spaniel


At brunch on Sunday after church, a friend's wife told me how she managed to find a breeder with a fresh litter of prize Clumber Spaniel pups. She sent my pal off to bring one home two weeks ago.


He came home with two.


"I figured the pup would need a playmate." Liar. I know what happened: he couldn't decide which of the ones rushing to lick his hand, so he took both. She told me his little dog-buying trip cost them close to $6000.


Last time I went to look at a litter of pups, I would have bought the whole darn litter of 8 unless wife and daughter had been present to lend some sanity to my puppy-weakened condition and limited me to one. Note to self: Stay away from puppies. Lead me not into temptation.


Here's a Clumber Spaniel site. Yes, they do hunt, but I've never seen one in the field.

Posted by Bird Dog in Hunting, Fishing, Dogs, Guns, etc., Our Essays at 15:41 | Comments (12) | Trackbacks (0)

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I have an 11 year-old spaniel mix that we got from the Humane Assoc, which confiscated him from an abusive situation. He is 26 pounds of adorable, laugh-out-loud love, and so cute at 11 that I could not imagine what he was like as a puppy.

No wonder your friend came home with two.
#1 D on 2009-12-08 15:55 (Reply)
I know some folks that have one named Atticus. He's the biggest, most spoiled slob you've ever seen. Even has his own chair. Wonderful dog but I can't imagine him in the field.
#2 Santay on 2009-12-08 16:11 (Reply)
BD,

I had no idea Clumbers were so expensive! $3000 per pup seems a bit much though I completely understand weakness around a litter of puppies. We're Britt fans and the last time we looked at a litter I almost ended up with as many as Ben O. Williams.

What type of canine friend do you currently have "down on the farm"?
#3 Country Squire (Link) on 2009-12-08 18:07 (Reply)
I find this decadent and distasteful. I never paid more than twenty bucks for a fine dog or a grand for a Level Two dressage horse.
#4 MissyW on 2009-12-08 22:46 (Reply)
Wow - that's gotta be some dog. I paid $1,500 for Suzee D. Dog and she came from Germany - freight paid.
#5 Tom Francis on 2009-12-08 23:13 (Reply)
Maybe breeders are charging by the potential adult weight. My sister-in-law just paid $1500 for a pup that is expected to reach 6 lbs. max. Let's see, that's $250/lb. I think she got took, but the "peanut" is cute and travels by airline under the seat.
#6 jma on 2009-12-09 01:59 (Reply)
Clumbers are rare around here, and this was super-champ lineage.
#7 bd on 2009-12-09 06:28 (Reply)
"Stay away from puppies. Lead me not into temptation."

I am the same way with Golden Retrievers... grew up with them, wanted one of mine for years, but I knew I just didn't have the time with work and all. Because of this, I resisted invitations to visit breeders and their new puppies knowing I would crumble like a European diplomat the first moment I laid eyes on them and I would end up coming home with at least several of them. I resisted that temptation for years waiting for the right time when I would be ready to take one home.

Earlier this year my wife and I talked about getting a Golden puppy for the family, the younger boy wanted one. All very general discussion until the day my wife came home with a Golden puppy.... she went and enjoyed puppy heaven without me knowing how much that moment would mean to me

My wife and I are no longer on speaking terms and I am simply waiting for the paperwork to return from the court.
#8 Anonymous Mike on 2009-12-09 08:31 (Reply)
The price was eye popping for this country boy as well. It leads me to wonder why people are willing to pay so much for a dog when there are so many in shelters that can be had for so little? What kind of emotional satisfaction can be obtained from a high dollar dog that can't be obtained from a mutt?
#9 feeblemind on 2009-12-09 11:13 (Reply)
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. I did some research: Clumbers 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). See more info and photos at The Working Clumber Spaniel Society.

Something else - re: rescue dog and not a $3000 dog. $3000 for a dog is an extravagance. However, inside free market societies: is extravagance a bad and sinful thing? The $3000 gets churned back through the economy. The faster money gets churned through the economy, the more wealth is created. Wealth is a great alleviator of human suffering. So, I think it's very complicated to excoriate over the $3000 expenditure. The $3000 already exists. What is it's best use? What if the person who earned the $3000 was motivated - by their love of Clumber Spaniels - to be more productive, and therefore (via being more productive) contributed more to their fellow man than they otherwise would have?
#10 gcotharn (Link) on 2009-12-09 12:48 (Reply)
I certainly think it's better to spend $$$$$$ on a dog who gives you joy, probably lowers your blood pressure (well, most of the time), gives you companionship, and reason to get up in the morning if you're feeling sad than some piece of jewelry or, even worse, fur!
#10.1 Charlotte Underwood-Miller on 2010-09-15 12:20 (Reply)
I hope to soon be in the market for a Deutsch-Drahthaar.
My old yellow lab was pretty versatile in his day but these DDs are supposed to be amazing.
#11 Dave J on 2009-12-09 12:54 (Reply)
I've shot woodcock over a Clumber here in NH several times. She did a great job and worked hard. She sure ran us into the ground, and on those short legs too. Annabelle. What a sweetie.
#12 Khornet on 2009-12-10 15:03 (Reply)

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