This Site was last updated on 21st October 2005

My association with the English Springer goes back almost thirty years.

At that time I was associated with the partnership of Deckert & Nelson who kept a large kennel of Golden Retrievers. The emphasis on the kennel was on Obedience ,but although the majority of the dogs were multiple Best in Trial winners and dominated Obedience Trials around the Country, they were all of top imported bloodlines and all not only had their Show Champion Titles, but several were multi Best In Group and Best In Show winners. I prepared and groomed the dogs for the showring and although a licensed judge for Obedience Trials was really more interested in showing than training and trialling . (Which is probably why our dogs today take absolutely no notice of my feeble attempts at discipline!).

 It was decided that another Breed should be added to the kennel and as we all liked the look of the English Springer, it was agreed that that was the breed. After looking at what was available in Australia the decision was made to import, as I got the English Dog papers and knew what was winning in the UK. I rather “tongue in cheek" suggested that an effort be made to purchase ENG. SH. CH. MOORCLIFF FREETWOOD GAMECOCK, currently top dog. To the great surprise of all of us the negotiations went through and soon "Gamecock" and a bitch MOORCLIFF PINTAIL were on their way by ship to Adelaide. Pintail had been mated before she left to Ch Moorcliff Dougal of Truelindale, sire of a dog who later became the most famous ESS ever: Sh Ch Hawkhill Connaught. Years later, Ernest Froggatt, who owned both "Gamecock & Dougal" told me the story of how when the offer came to purchase Gamecock, for what was in those days a huge amount of money, he and his wife June, debated on which dog to send. Gamecock was the better show dog, having an enormous ring presence and totally arrogant, self confidence, where as Dougal was shaping to be the better sire. I guess it was fortunate for Springers in general that Dougal did stay in England and that although Australia may have got second best, Gamecock made a huge impact on the future of the Breed in this Country and certainly set the pattern for many years to come. The two made their way to Australia by ship and throughout the five week journey, (which seemed like 5 years to us waiting in Adelaide), no-one knew whether or not Pintail was in whelp. A day out of Fremantle in the midst of a huge storm, Pintail gave us the answer - 13 puppies. She arrived in Adelaide a few days later with 12 babies all fit and well.

Gamecock who had spent the last two weeks of the voyage in a crew members cabin,( because they'd let him have the run of the ship and when the weather was bad, he kept leaning over the side to bark at the waves), was by now thoroughly attached to "his sailor" and not interested in the least in his new owners waiting with bated breath to see this famous new acquisition. In any case he really wasn't a pretty sight, 5 weeks without a trim and a few weeks of sun and salt air really hadn't done anything for his appearance, but the presence and the character were there in abundance. I was allowed on board to dock the puppies, who were by then 5 days old and check that all was well with Pintail who took it all in her stride.  She obviously knew her place and who was the star in this circus, and circus it was. In all the drama of the quarantine inspection and counting tail stubs and dew claws to make sure all were accounted for and not allowed to contaminate Australian soil, an argument was raging as to whether to disembark the dogs and litter down the gang plank or hoist them in their crates over the side of the ship. Finally as the Quarantine Officers led a reluctant Gamecock, who really didn't want to leave and and Pintail who just followed the carton full of babies down the gang plank to the waiting van, they winched the empty export crates over the side and, you guessed it -  the rope snapped, and both crates crashed to the wharf below. Not an experience I want to go through again.

 It seemed, for the next sixty days, a venture that was doomed to failure. What could go wrong did go wrong. Teal (Gamecock) developed kidney problems. The Quarantine Station in Adelaide was an island in the Port River with no refrigeration available to the kennels so feeding consisted of cheap tinned food and kibble. We were given special problems permission to send fresh beef over by launch every second day to feed him and Penny (Pintail), and obviously this high protein diet disagreed with him. He became thinner and thinner and his coat was a nightmare.

Penny, overprotective of her large litter, was not about to let the Quarantine workers access to her precious babies, and so was banished to a stable where they could open the top door and place the food inside without having to go in.

Come the day we picked them up and the thought uppermost was was it worth it?  A bedraggled ginger and yellow dog, obviously not well, a thin bitch with 12 totally wild puppies unused to being handled. Gamecock adjusted well to his new home and being once more the “Star of  the Show”. I walked him 5 kms a day and for the first few months bathed him every second day and lavished every care on his coat. By this time,  his kidney problems had developed in nephritis but was kept under control by a special diet and to the end of his life at 13, he never again ate raw meat and always drank barley water. Penny never really recovered from her ordeal, a very sweet tempered bitch, she was from then on, always a little wary and the decision was made not to show her. Her puppies too I believe didn't really come on as they should have, being 8 weeks old before they had proper human contact, but did form a good breeding basis for Kennels in Australia.

John & Judy Tulloch used Oak Sprig O Heather to great advantage and we were very fortunate with our Sword Dancer who, when mated to the Sprig O Heather/Gamecock's son, - our own  CH Cranloch Argyle Prince gave us:-  Ch. Clanach Argyle Tartan and his litter sisters Ch Clanach Argyle Dancer and Ch Clanach Argyle’s Ailsa.

I have always tried over the past thirty years to stick to the same bloodlines, going back to CH DOUGLAS OF FREETWOOD, the sire of Champions DOUGAL and GAMECOCK, was thrilled and humbled to receive as a gift from Judith Hancock and Jimmy Cudworth, the last CONNAUGHT daughter “HAWKHILL ONE IN A MILLION”, (a Ch. DOUGLAS great, granddaughter) in whelp to a Crufts group winner CH. GRAFTONBURY GENGHIS KHAN (who again goes back to Douglas).

Whilst I believe in hindsight that Gamecock wasn't the best made dog I've ever seen, his contribution to the Breed in this Country was immense as was Pintail's, through her litter by  from Dougal, and certainly a huge debt of thanks is  owed to those very, very clever English breeders  such as Moorcliff and Hawkhill, - and  agree or  disagree, they always came up with the goods  and set a standard for all to follow.