Crufts win puts Clumber spaniel breed in spotlight

"They are soft, amazingly loyal and really friendly... there is some slobber."

The champion of Crufts, Bruin, is a breed you may not have heard of before - a Clumber spaniel.

The origins of the breed are uncertain, but the clues link it to a former stately home at the centre of Sherwood Forest.

Barbara Weston, who runs a club devoted to Clumber spaniels, said she hoped the win would help secure the breed's future.

Clumber Park, near Worksop in Nottinghamshire, was created as a deer park in 1709 but the first hall was built by Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, the 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme, in the 1760s.

Rob Holder, general manager at Clumber Park, said while the origins of the Clumber spaniel were not clear, they may have come from a kennel of prized spaniels gifted to the 2nd Duke.

"It was the Duke and his gamekeeper that then worked with the spaniel to create the breed we know today," he added.

"They were designed to be a gundog, a hunting dog, that would work the heathland of Sherwood Forest.

"There is not a day goes by that you don't see a Clumber spaniel in the park, but it is not as well known as some breeds.

"We are very proud of our heritage and of the fact there is a dog that was bred here and named after the park - it's amazing it has gone on to win Crufts."

Walking with Clumbers is an enthusiasts' and social group set up 10 years ago by Barbara Weston, from Coalville in Leicestershire.

She said the win would boost the breed's profile and future.

"Our breed is one of the vulnerable breeds - not many people actually know what they are and when we go out with our dogs they ask, 'what is that?'

"But when we go out today I think they will say 'oh, is that a Clumber spaniel?' because they saw them on Crufts.

"That means the breed gets more well known, more people will want a Clumber, more puppies will be bred.

"That's good for the gene pool because the gene pool for Clumbers is quite small in this country because they are so rare," she said.

While the stately home which used to be the centre of Clumber Park was demolished after a fire in the early 20th Century, the park still has strong links with the breed.

Walking With Clumbers' first walk at Sandringham in Norfolk had three people. Now they have 14 walks a year nationwide and regularly get 25 people and 15 dogs.

But if they go to Clumber, they can get 70 people and up to 60 dogs.

"It is absolute madness," said Weston.

"But the dogs know each other, they know they are Clumber spaniels and they all get along and all mix in."

She added: "They are soft, loyal and really friendly, we have had them for 40 years.

"You have to be prepared for the fact they shed and they have jowls, so there is some slobber but that's nothing compared to the joy they bring."

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