Says Davern, "One of the nice things about this breed not being so popular is that people aren't just breeding to whatever is currently fashionable. Our gene pool is very small and the hunting gene is very concentrated." However unknown the breed was before, the Westminster Sporting Group win last year by Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (known as 'Stump') has put the spotlight squarely on the Sussex. Don Krueger is guarded about this and warns would-be profiteers to be careful of how they breed their dogs, suggesting that, "In order to not lose the Sussex's wonderful hunting style, each of us in the breed must make sure that we don't change the breed so that it is competitive against a field-bred Springer. The Sussex is a slow, methodical worker. He wasn't designed to hunt fast and furious through a field. As a club, we will not allow our Sussex to run in a Spaniel field trial unless we are able to have a field trial that is specific to our breed. In this way, we can keep the breed whole and not suffer the problems of other breeds like the English Springer, the Labrador and the Pointer, which are largely split between bench and field types."
For all of Krueger's concern, the bigger fear is that people in the breed just won't take their show dogs out to the field to prove their value as a hunting dog. With regard to last year's Westminster Sporting Group winner, Davern says, "Stump is a delightful dog. I judged him at the breed's nati onal specialty this past year and gave him the breed. Of course, no dog is perfect, but there are so many wonderful things about this dog, and he is so worthy of being used selectively as a stud dog that I just couldn't pass him up. I think it would be sensational if, after his show career, his people would allow Stump his just reward of running in the field. He really deserves the opportunity."
Since the now-famous Stump is currently high in the rankings as one of the nation's top show dogs, there's no telling if and when he will get the chance to be a field dog, but Davern says, "He is the perfect ambassador, and it would be so good for the breed if he were to gain his hunting titles." But would a dog like Stump - a seasoned conformation dog, so thoroughly conditioned for the show ring - even like the field? Davern suggests that there's really not a bad time to take a show dog out to the field, but wishes she could have started earlier with her own beloved Best in Show Sussex: "Snuffy had 40-some group placements and two Best in Shows, and was really the first Sussex to put the breed in the spotlight. Since I was a working handler at the time, Snuffy was handled by me. And he did remarkably well for a dog with such limited opportunities. I wish I'd been able to do more with him, but we got a late start and he got sick while working towards his Master Hunting title. I had three legs on that title before we had to stop. Now I have his son (Int. Am. Can. & Mex. Ch. Sundowners Heat Wave, SH) in training with Don because I realize how important the Master Hunter title on the pedigree is for me. As a judge and a full-time dog trainer, I don't have the time to shoot birds for 'Blaze,' so that's why I hired Don. When I get an e-mail from Don telling me that he shot 40 chukars over my dog last month, how can I be selfish and say, 'But my bed is so empty without him?' I'm so glad for the dog."Page 1 | 2 | 3