Springer Spaniel Quotes

Not only was Miss Cribbe bearded, and always trying to get chummy with us like we we're her real children or something, but she had a disgusting incontinent springer spaniel called Misty, who was constantly sneaking in to the dorms and weeing on our duvets

As Herb sliced his small partridge stuffed with wild rice, the fresh vegetables artfully arranged on his plate by the cook, the conversation flowed. Lucy Fur, standing on her hind legs on the floor, raised a paw, placing it on Herb’s thigh. He cut a small piece of partridge for her, put it on a bread plate, and bent over. No one said a word, since everyone there would have done the same thing. The springer spaniel rejoined them upon hearing the plate scrape the floor. These were animal people. The differences among them were differences of income, age, gender, and the mysteries of personality. But when it came to animals, they were as one. Every single one of them, even Tazio, new to animal ownership, cherished a deep respect for all life.

A shock report in the London Evening Standard on August 23, 1995, “Treason at the Tower as Charlie kills raven,” revealed that a police sniffer dog, a springer spaniel named Charlie, killed a raven also named Charlie during a routine security check. (According to the report, no disciplinary action was taken against the dog.)

Dad blames it all on his family, who he claims have set records for Scandinavian incompetence since the days of Leif Ericson. While Ericson was discovering Nova Scotia, he says, a dragon boat commanded by one of his own ancestors—they were named Arnulfssen in those days—got lost sailing across the Öresund Strait from Köbenhavn to Malmö, a fifteen-mile stretch of smooth water which could be navigated by a springer spaniel with a mallard in its mouth. He often spoke of Uncle Sven, who couldn’t wave bye-bye until he was eighteen; of his great-grandfather, Gunnar, who was fired from his post of Village Idiot in Viborg because the quality of his work wasn’t high enough; of Aunt Minna, who announced, at the age of twenty-five, that she was tired of speaking Danish because it was “too hard,” and spent the rest of her life not talking at all, just pointing and gesturing and being misunderstood. It seemed

The cocker had a way of looking up at you, head perked a little to one side, one ear drooping properly forward but the other turned coquettishly back, and with an arch, quizzical expression of countenance which had all the effect of a keen appreciation of the humors of life; and was potent to draw out affection in everyone save those unfortunates condemned by an inscrutable fate to indifference toward man's best friend among brute kind. - Richard Burton, Three of a Kind

Dogs when happy are perfectly happy; and even when things go against them, they assume the best and keep up a cheerful attitude towards life: they are the first Christian Scientists in history. - Richard Burton, Three of a Kind

All right, I thought you specialized in Labradors.’ ‘You spaniel men think that when God had created the springer and its near relatives he should have knocked off for a dirty weekend.

I’m after a mugger,” said Scout. “A hugger?” said Clyde. He was a little deaf. “I would imagine you receive plenty of hugs. They probably come to you. Why would you have to go after them?” “NO!” said Ike. “MMMMugger, you nitwit.” He made m-m-m-m noises with his lips.

Will there be cheese?" asked Chisolm.

From Chapter 11 "Rainy Day Puppy" ("The Missing Tulip Bulbs"): The next few days were hard on the family. It rained. It was cold. Winter had returned. The puppy grew and gained energy equal to a neutron bomb. He bounced and chewed and barked. Everyone was exhausted, except for the puppy. -

See?” said Scout to Benne who tried to melt into the ground by becoming very flat. “See what happens when you don’t listen? When you go off and do whatever and you have no idea what you’re doing?” “Yes,” agreed Chisolm sternly, frowning at Benne. “Yes, it’s very clear what happens,” said Zap. “Yes,” agreed Zip. “You get a purple fire-breathing dragon that has no idea how to fly instead of a cynical mule.

That afternoon, on a snowy hillside strewn with logging slash, she flushed and fetched a brace of grouse. Our hunt finished, we trudged home along the logging path as slivers of pink and yellow glowed in the gray western sky. I walked loose-limbed and weary, basking in the sense that I understood, really understood, what it meant to collaborate with a dog. To expand my instincts in partnership with a creature whose talents surpassed mine. To let her joyousness, her simplicity, rub off on me. The shed mind and intellect for a time, to soak up the hunt, to simply be myself.

Behind him, his ancient Springer Spaniel sat on the wet grass, legs akimbo, slowly absorbing the drizzle.

It is generally accepted in show circles that no dog is perfect, and the sentiment is repeated frequently, in the canine press, in some form or other e.g. every dog has a fault. It is a multi-purpose phrase. Generally employed to reassure those of us with imperfect animals that we are not wasting our time in the show ring, it also serves to wring a little drop of humility from proud owners when their champions do not win.

Welshie owners need to be specially careful about their own behaviour standards because the nature of the animal, as already outlined, is more complex. Many are so sensitive to harsh correction while simultaneously being slow to learn, or too interested in following various scents, that they need, much more patience and time than, say, a good strain of working English Springer might.

Energy and stamina must come first, as a fundamental feature of the Welshie. They are virtually impossible to tire, and can therefore be worked all day under most conditions, as many shooting men have attested since the turn of the century, remarking on their superiority over other breeds for stamina and persistence.

Energy when combined with alert and quizzical minds produces lively and high-spirited creatures, in dogs as in human beings. Clearly, therefore, like the other gundog breeds, they need exercise in reasonable quantities to absorb their energy, and they also need training, clear and deliberate planned education, to develop their personalities.

Reaction in the ring is a matter of degree, and also of training, in ring craft, and socialization. There is a range of acceptable temperament, above the line which divides it from the rare cases of aggression or terror.

The show dog may seem cautious because of good training; it should not be subdued or frightened; novices are often uninhibited to the point of ecstasy at a touch or word of praise. A wagging tail and a happy cheerful impression is a reasonable expectation.

Showing is primarily a contest of beauty, and it is a valid criticism that brain power, or ability, cannot be assessed. However, the general mental demeanor of the dog in the ring certainly can be. The judge should be looking for a stable, happy dog, not easily frightened by the different sights and sounds of a strange show ground. A spaniel should not be unsociable with his own kind and certainly not frightened by other people.

Sympathetic handling is stressed because an important third element in the portrait of this breed is its sensitivity (or wit). This is as important a foundation stone as stamina and liveliness, and of course it makes the portrait more complex. As with humans, diffidence or an element of shyness should not be interpreted as dullness. The way that they are treated is all-important in getting the best out of them, as with all dogs, and brutality or heavyhandedness are counter-productive, apart from being odious and stupid ways of behaving. Someone once wrote with great wisdom that they could be trained but never broken. It is worth noting that Welsh are most responsive to nuances and slight changes of voice and facial expressions, and of everything else. Praise of the correct action, and plenty of attention, is the best way to your dog's heart

A sense of humour, expressed as a love of games of all sorts, is another endearing feature of the breed. All pups enjoy play, but the Welshman manages to sustain his puppy attractiveness longer than many breeds. Though he seems dignified and even aloof at times, with his spaniel-sad face, he is never really gloomy, and delights in fun and frolic.

Energy and stamina must come first, as a fundamental feature of the Welshie. They are virtually impossible to tire, and can therefore be worked all day under most conditions, as many shooting men have attested since the turn of the century, remarking on their superiority over other breeds for stamina and persistence.

Energy when combined with alert and quizzical minds produces lively and high-spirited creatures, in dogs as in human beings. Clearly, therefore, like the other gundog breeds, they need exercise in reasonable quantities to absorb their energy, and they also need training, clear and deliberate planned education, to develop their personalities.

Welshie owners need to be specially careful about their own behaviour standards because the nature of the animal, as already outlined, is more complex. Many are so sensitive to harsh correction while simultaneously being slow to learn, or too interested in following various scents, that they need, much more patience and time than, say, a good strain of working English Springer might.

It should be remembered too, that success exists at various levels. Ine majority of Welshie owners, keepers, fowlers, syndicate shooters or casual pickers up, that one speaks to are disinterested in competition or any extraneous attention seeking. They are quite happy as they are, thank you very much. Few people, of course, have the time, the facilities, the inclination or perhaps the confidence to compete, in tests and certainly in trials, anyway, but they enjoy their dogs, and especially their Welshies with their reliable noses, at their own-essentially private-level of competence.

There are two separate kinds of people interested in working Welsh springers: those with experience of field sports, already involved in training d working a gundog; and those who, having acquired a Welshman, are Interested in learning more about the breed's original function.

A sense of humour, expressed as a love of games of all sorts, is another endearing feature of the breed. All pups enjoy play, but the Welshman manages to sustain his puppy attractiveness longer than many breeds. Though he seems dignified and even aloof at times, with his spaniel-sad face, he is never really gloomy, and delights in fun and frolic.

Sympathetic handling is stressed because an important third element in the portrait of this breed is its sensitivity (or wit). This is as important a foundation stone as stamina and liveliness, and of course it makes the portrait more complex. As with humans, diffidence or an element of shyness should not be interpreted as dullness. The way that they are treated is all-important in getting the best out of them, as with all dogs, and brutality or heavyhandedness are counter-productive, apart from being odious and stupid ways of behaving. Someone once wrote with great wisdom that they could be trained but never broken. It is worth noting that Welsh are most responsive to nuances and slight changes of voice and facial expressions, and of everything else. Praise of the correct action, and plenty of attention, is the best way to your dog's heart

liked the Labs, but sometimes people would show up for the shoot with Springer Spaniels to work alongside them. Come lunchtime, when the Labs would often be flagging, it was the Springers who watched everyone drift back towards the lodge with an expression that said, ‘Why are we stopping?’ Their energy was boundless, and I admired them for it.

The fact was that Spaniel had helped to put me in a positive frame of mind. I had come back down from that bench overlooking the fells thinking despite everything, I still had something to offer. It had felt like the world had left me behind since the accident and it had taken a friendly dog to remind me that I could still catch up. At the heart of it, Max reminded me how it felt to be at peace.