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Meet the Tuthills and Crates of Cumbrian Pointers – preservation breeders dedicated to history, excellence, and the breed’s future.
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Henri & Nancy Tuthill and Darrell & Amy Crate
1. Henri and Nancy Tuthill, and co-Breeders Darrell and Amy Crate, make up our “Team Cumbrian.” Henri first became involved in purebred dogs with English and Irish Setters in the late 1950s and early ‘60s in close association with Roy and Nedra Jerome (Innisfail Irish Setters) and Tom Tobin (Heritage Irish Setters). Henri gradually shifted his focus to Pointers and bought his first from Darian Cove in Indiana. Although the puppy that arrived was not an ideal start, it fueled his interest, and he soon purchased a bitch from Shandown Kennel and a male from Dr. Van Zandt’s Tomsueamy Kennel.
Henri later saw CH Counterpoints Lord Ashley, handled in the ring by Corky Vroom at a Silverbay Kennel Club show with Irene Schlintz judging, and he knew that the dog was his ideal Pointer type. As luck would have it, he met Mrs. Floyde B. Evans of Tyler Showfield, and she showed him a Super 8 film she had shot on a trip to Crufts. On that reel was Mr. George Holliday showing his Pointers CH Cumbrian Stonethorpe Seashore and CH Cumbrian Crusader. Henri wrote Holliday, and over a span of three years, imported seven Cumbrian Pointers and eventually was gifted use of the Cumbrian kennel name from George. Combining the Cumbrian imports with a double grandson of Ashley created the breeding program we have today.
Fast forward to the ‘80s and I (Nancy), with no background in exhibiting, wanted a Pointer to train for hunting and bought a field pup out of a San Diego, California, newspaper. I saw a dog show mentioned in a magazine and decided that it was something I wanted to try; I entered my field Pointer at the Cabrillo Kennel Club in 1981. Well, the other exhibitors were not kind, and I left crestfallen with my “wrong kind” of Pointer.
Instead of giving up, I decided to find the best show Pointer puppy I could and was determined to someday return to the ring. It so happened that Henri Tuthill in Anaheim, California, had a litter, and the dam was the dam of Black Pearl, no less. I gained a puppy and Henri gained a wife. Fast forward to the mid-90s; we relocated to New England, and a young man, Darrell Crate, came for a kennel visit as he had met a family with two of our Pointers on the Boston Common.
He soon purchased his lifelong companion, “Larry.” Later, Darrell and Amy Crate became closely involved in breeding and exhibiting Pointers. Darrell’s involvement in the dog world includes being past President of The Westminster Kennel Club. Darrell and Amy have been involved in every aspect of breeding, rearing, and exhibiting all of our litters for the past 15 years.
At present, we have a private kennel licensed for 25 dogs in Maryland; I think you must be cognizant of the numbers so that you can give proper care and training to each dog. To date, we have bred 148 AKC (American Kennel Club) Pointer Champions as well as over 50 that we have owned and finished. In addition, we have Champions and CC winners from several countries.
In the past, we have owned, bred, or showed Whippets, English and Irish Setters, and some top-winning Smooth Fox Terriers. Cumbrian has many “firsts” to our credit. For example, the first black and white Pointers imported and exhibited in the show ring in the ‘60s, in an era when all were liver and white; and the first orange and white Pointer (black pigment) to win a National Specialty. Henri bred the Pointer CH Cumbrian Black Pearl, who became the No. 1 Sporting Dog. Handled by Corky Vroom and supported by Nat and Gloria Reese, she shattered the longstanding Bests in Show record for Pointers—originally set in the 1920s by Mrs. Hartley Dodge’s Nancolleth Beryl Of Giralda.
2. Many will say, and are not wrong, that the hallmarks are the head and the tail that make Pointer breed type unique. And yet, there is so much more that goes into making a true breed representative. You MUST start with correct shoulders, and you cannot make them from scratch; it is something that should be guarded like the holy grail. With proper well-laid-back shoulders, you have corresponding angles that benefit the movement that creates the hard-driving Sporting dog bred to run and quarter a bird in the field. You get a correct neck into shoulder needed for reach, and the bend to the pastern completed by the correct feet, with toes that are needed to make those turns. The show ring has created problems for our breed; it has made short-coupled, cat-footed Pointers that are perfect for the postage stamp-sized indoor rings.
3. The issue isn’t a lack of homes—it’s that Preservation Breeders like us simply don’t produce enough well-bred, well-socialized puppies each year to meet the demand from families looking for pets. As a result, many of these families turn to pet stores or backyard breeders instead.
There is no solution that I can see. We breed one litter a year, and our peers average about the same, with some breeding two. The work and expense it takes to produce a litter far outstrips any monetary gain at this level. We do try to make sure our long-time buyers, who are our lifelong friends, always have the chance to get a family pet; many have been with us for over 30 years. We just sent one of our 2025 litter of four to a Canadian family who purchased their first Cumbrian Pointer pet in 1993.
4. Technology is moving faster than many older breeders can master, us included. Case in point, trying to update our HTML website just makes my head hurt. Most breeders who host online pages do so in an informational/historical-based format, not a product-based endeavor. The flashy pop-up websites offered by web building companies are not designed for what we are “selling,” which is breed-based information. This has made our reach to the public almost nonexistent. We have seen a large base of breeders, with ourselves included, move to Facebook to post kennel and breeding news, but I miss our website with its links to our history, as well as that of other breeders and dogs. We have possibly the largest private historical Pointer archive in the world, and sharing that information is important for any aspiring breeder; you must have that connection to the past in order to move forward.
5. Locally, I work closely with our western Maryland Mason & Dixon Kennel Club as a handling class instructor and member. We have made great inroads with the public by offering a variety of venues for participation in dog sports and events, including Obedience classes and trials, Fast CAT, and Rally, as well as our annual dog show and puppy match. We have seen an uptick in activity and participation, as we have geared our focus toward inclusion of novice owners who are eager to try new activities. We offer free classes to Juniors in hopes of encouraging a new generation of dog enthusiasts for the future.
6. There will always be new trends; it’s the nature of any sport. As a breeder/owner-handler, and also a judge, I wear many hats. I would say that fancy outfits, shiny shoes, and beaded leads are not what should be a priority. You can show me your good dog wearing a burlap sack, as long as your dog is well-conditioned, a good representative of your breed, and happy. The rest of it makes no difference! Prioritize what’s important.
7. I think the biggest and best part of the Internet age is disclosure. If you are a good, responsible breeder, it becomes well known; and the opposite goes, as well. The days of hiding health issues because there is no information is gone. I think that this has also led to better behavior, as once it’s on the Internet, it stays there forever. It seems that those who live for the gossip are a bit more careful when they seek to post unkindness. Transparency has become a tool, not a weapon.
Parting words: Sometimes I think the world of purebred dogs needs reminding that we Preservation Breeders are the backbone of what keeps it going. Without us there is an entire economy that would collapse, from AKC registrations to superintendents, and the handlers who depend on quality dogs to pilot. Think about the breeder when you are presenting that beautiful dog; right now, there is a breeder somewhere with a newborn litter who hasn’t slept in three days. We deserve the utmost respect of the fancy.
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