Julie & Lauren Wickwire
1. We are Julie and Lauren Wickwire, and we live in Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley. I (Julie) have been showing dogs since I was a teenager, and Lauren her whole life! After having other Sporting dog breeds, we got our first Clumber Spaniel in 1998 and had our first litter in 2002. Our Creswick kennel is proud to have finished numerous Champions over the years and have also added Field titles to many as well. We have the distinction of having the first Clumber to earn the Master Hunter title. This year at the Clumber National, we were proud to have been awarded Best of Opposite, Best of Winners, Best in Sweepstakes, Best of Opposite in Sweepstakes, Select Bitch, and an Award of Merit.
2. When you look at a Clumber you want to see unique and important breed-specific qualities such as a long body (the ideal length to height is 11 to 9 measured from the withers to the base of the tail and from the floor to the withers), massive bone, deep chest, a firm and level topline, and a primarily white coat, topped off by a beautiful headpiece with a soft, pleasing expression. Their power, characteristic looseness of skin, and excellent nose enable them to hunt in the heavy cover that is often the hiding place of game missed by other Sporting dogs. Their white coats make them easier for hunters to spot in the field. A Clumber is a flushing spaniel that should be in excellent condition and give you the impression that it could hunt all day in the field at a comfortable trot.
3. Yes, in our opinion, there are enough puppy homes to support breeding a litter this year. Your typical puppy buyer who is interested in a Clumber has normally done their homework! They are often drawn to the breed because of their unique spaniel look and a temperament that is well-suited to family life as well as a variety of Performance events.
4. As a breeder, we work closely with our local university vet school, Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from them the latest in breeding theory and techniques. We believe that it has helped our breeding program immensely in the past few years, and we’ve found that the educators there are willing to teach us alongside the students. It’s quite the continuing education!
5. In our local community, I have not noticed a change in the public perception of purebred dogs. We think there will always be a certain percentage of the population that prefers to rescue a dog or buy the latest “designer” dog. We enjoy getting our dogs out and about in our area to try and promote the advantages of choosing and owning a purebred dog, such as the Clumber.
6. One trend that we’ve noticed is that with the increased expense of showing and a greater number of shows, it is often hard to find enough Breed entries for majors. This can become even harder with a low-entry breed such as the Clumber. Coordination and communication with other members of the Clumber community are important in creating opportunities for major entries.
7. We think that the commitment to fostering the Juniors in our sport is definitely a positive trend. Children can start taking part in shows at much younger ages than ever before. Since we are both former Junior Handlers, we appreciate this dedication and emphasis on the future of our sport.
