Our involvement with Clumber Spaniels began in 1984 when we purchased our first Clumber puppy after many months of waiting. She was initially bought as a companion for our English Springer Spaniel, Nyssa. She, as have all our subsequent Clumbers captivated our hearts and became more than ‘just a dog’! At the time of purchase we had no intentions of showing; but that soon changed and we ended up showing her, breeding from her and visiting an old people’s home with her under the PAT dog scheme.

We acquired our first Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen (GBGV) in 1998. Quite a contrast to the Clumber, although they do compliment each other well.

The showing has continued with numerous 1^st prizes and Challenge Certificate wins at Championship shows. All our dogs are housedogs and very much part of the family.

Our affix ‘Tioga’ was taken as a reminder of the wonderful week we spent in the beautiful Yosemite Park, California, prior to dogs becoming part of our routine. The Tioga pass rises to some ten thousand feet high and is the only route West to East through the park. The scenery along this pass is stunning.

THE TIOGA TEAM 

Present

Gertie - (Debucher Oh La La for Tioga).  DOB 9th January 1998.  Our first Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen, bred by Viv Phillips out of Dehra Embrasser at Darsoms by Bien Fait Du Greffier Du Roi. We thought we had a dog proof garden, but Gertie soon put us straight on that. After a few patch up jobs, we had to have the whole garden re fenced.! Gertie is a very independent lady, who I think would have been just as happy living in a kennel as living in the comfort of our home. Well, she might have missed her sofa bed, but if she could take that with her....... She is very much a creature of routine - I’m told that this is a hound thing - to the extent that she will not eat her dinner if you give it to her too early or late.  Gertie is definitely Queen Bee in our pack. She only has to give the other dogs one of her looks and they immediately side step her. She has many expressions that she uses to let you know what she wants or expects of you. It is almost as if she could talk!  Her sense of smell is phenomenal. She can be sound asleep in the house, and will suddenly get up because a friend or foe has passed the front gate, or a squirrel has ventured into the back garden. No noise just perceived solely by scent.  Gertie has had one litter, the sire being Dehra Esperance De Debucher

Bramble - (Tioga A La Mode).  DOB 26th May 2002.  Bramble is from our first Grand litter out of Gertie by Dehra Esperance de Debucher.  The first thing you hear in the morning is Bramble’s tail, beating her bed, in anticipation of your arrival to say good morning to her and to give her tummy a rub. In fact you only have to look at Bramble or whisper her name and her tail begins to beat.  At obedience classes, the others were amused by her laid back attitude. Down stays were done on her side with her back leg in the air. Retrieving an article amounted to trotting out after it, patting it a few times with her paw and then returning without it.  However, she has managed to pass both her Bronze and Silver Kennel Club Good Citizen’s awards - so she obviously has learnt something!  Bramble has only had one litter to date, the sire being Nireau Du Barbillot Des Maladieres from which we kept

Donna - (Tioga Backchat).  DOB 14th December 2004.  Donna's  is a very happy affectionate dog. Most people fall under her charm, and in return she loves everyone. She has no favourites - anyone can be her friend. She is very good at amusing herself if no one else wants to play. Such pastimes include digging the garden, destroying plant pots (with the plants still in them), chewing the water butt tap or the watering can spout, trying to climb the Yew tree to follow where the squirrel has been. A recent habit has been to get a favourite toy and keep tossing it in the air.  As you can see she is quite capable of entertaining herself.  Indoors, she likes nothing better than a hug and a back scratch. Scratching her back sends her into seventh heaven.  Donna completed the Irish Circuit in 2006, notching up two Green Stars.   Donna had her first litter in 2007 the sire being Vice Versa Du Greffier Du Roi.  During pregnancy she became very attached to Spangle's toy duck.  She even took it to her whelping box and held it in her mouth whilst giving birth. 

Spangle - (Brauncewell Bewitched by Tioga).  DOB 19th August 2006.  Spangle was bred by Jenny Arber being sired by Sh Ch Tweedsmuir Subaru of Brauncewell, out of Tweedsmuir Bedazzled at Brauncewell.  Spangle is currently our only Clumber after the tragic loss of Disney early in 2007.  Spangle is a 'sweetheart'.  She loves everyone and everything, and refuses to believe that visitors have come to see anyone but her.  She has started to develop her 'woo' and shows signs of going to have a ball fetish like our previous Clumbers. She is also already a good snorer!  She was only shown lightly during her puppy months, but still managed to notch up some Best Puppy awards. 

Homer and Ruby - (Tioga Chamade and Tioga L'Air Du Temps).  DOB 1st June 2007.  From Donna's first litter by Vice Versa Du Greffier Du Roi.  These are the latest additions to the Tioga Team, co-owned with Hilary Knowles.  Ruby has both beauty and brains, Homer is a thinker and has decided that being handsome is good enough, Ruby can do the thinking for both of them.  They should make their debut in the show ring in 2008 - watch this space!

and

Past

Cassie - (Marshmarks Misseve).  December 1983 - October 1994.  Cassie was our first Clumber Spaniel, bred by Claude and Tracy George out of Sh Ch Marshmarks Missy by Fatpastures Stocking Topper. She was bought as a companion for our English Springer Spaniel, Nyssa, but after doing well at a local exemption show, we were bitten by the show bug. She qualified for Crufts during our first year of showing her and was awarded 3rd prize in the Limit class at her first Crufts appearance. All our Clumbers have exhibited the characteristic Clumber ‘woo’ and ‘snore’, but out of all the Clumbers we have owned, Cassie has been the best at both these activities. She also displayed excellent skills at wall chewing, twice chewing through to the cavity of our kitchen wall.  Cassie had two litters the first to Trevabyn Trevarrack at Redmarsh and the second to Redmarsh Gotta Lotta Bottle.  Sadly Cassie’s life ended prematurely when she ate deadly poisonous toadstools in of all places, Clumber Park.

Nyssa - (Princess Leia of Amersham).  July 1983 - February 1998.  Neither a Clumber Spaniel or a Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen but Nyssa was our first dog and very much a part of the Tioga Team. Nyssa was born in Ruislip, Middlesex, out of Lady of Long Drive by Sh Ch Feorlig Golden Griffin. She proved to be quite a character right from the start - if she didn’t like the food you were offering her she would carry her food bowl out into the garden and tip the food out! When she was seven months old we bought home a companion for her, our first Clumber - Cassie. Initially her nose was put out of joint, but they soon became very good friends. Nyssa, having a few more brain cells than Cassie was able to make sure that it was never her that was caught doing wrong. We have watched her show Cassie how to dig a hole by the fence and then sit back and let her get on with it. For a long time Cassie was labelled a thief until we saw Nyssa stealing the article and giving it to Cassie when she heard someone coming! Nyssa was never a Mum but made an enthusiastic nanny to our Clumber puppies.

Lotte - (Tioga Celebration Cream).  April 1986 - December 2000.  Lotte was our first home bred Clumber. She was nick named grotty Lotte as she loved wading through puddles, the muddier the better. It was rare for Lotte to return from a walk clean!  Lotte had two passions in her life - water and tennis balls. It was impossible to keep Lotte out of water. It was always the first thing she looked for whenever we went anywhere new. At home she was always looking for someone to play ball with her. She never tired, and could quite comfortably hold 3 tennis balls in her mouth, as you can see pictured here.  She had a successful show career with numerous 1st’s, Best of Breeds and Challenge Certificates. She also had a go at working, winning 2nd in the puppy class at her first test. She was also a PAT dog for a number of years.  Lotte had two litters the first to Acredale Acclaim To Fame and the second to Sh Ch Bosslynn Crusader of Colland.  Lotte was put to sleep in December 2000. A special lady who we still miss a lot.

Cleo - (Tioga Supersonic).  November 1990 - May 2004.  Out of Lotte by Sh Ch Bosslynn Crusader at Colland. Cleo was an incredibly lazy dog. The only time she really exerted herself was when she was expecting her first litter. She worried me to death, charging around like a lunatic, but went on to give birth to nine puppies with the greatest of ease. Cleo was a peace maker. She hated any trouble, and was always the first to defend any one who was getting picked on. She was quite a chatter box, having perfected the art of wooing. She loved people, especially children. The highlight of a walk for her was to meet someone, and it was even better if it was a child whose hat, gloves or scarf she could try to steal. She did not enjoy showing. I think the exertion was too much! She notched up two RCC’s before we decided to retire her. Cleo had two litters the first to Sh Ch Raycroft Dockwray Sanderling and the second to Sh Ch Topjoys Cause A Stir at Glenariff. Sadly Cleo had a stroke in May 2004, from which she never recovered.

Amy - (Tioga Valuable Asset).  July 1995 - August 2005.  From Cleo's second litter by Sh Ch Topjoys Cause A Stir at Glenariff.  Amy was a home lover. She felt safe and secure within her home environment and went into panic mode if she strayed more than a few feet away from you when out and about. She had a very loving nature, and whatever life threw at her, she still wagged her tail and got on with things. She was a very determined lady, who put up with ‘problems’ that other dogs would have given up on. She loved water and she would sit in the sea letting the waves break over her back. She also loved trying to catch the water as it came out of a hose or watering can. Amy only had one puppy from one litter. The sire was Ranzham We Are The Tops at Nakuru. In 2003, when Amy was only 7 years old, she was diagnosed as suffering from an auto-immune condition that was wasting her cranial muscles. The prognosis was not good, but against all odds, Amy battled on, never loosing her cheerful disposition, until August 2005 when we made the tough decision to let her go as we felt she was no longer enjoying the quality of life we would want for her.

Disney - (Colland Catch the Breeze at Tioga).  October 1999 - March 2007.  Disney was taken from us at far too young an age.  Until she became ill in February 2007, she had been a very healthy dog.  However she developed Leukaemia and despite chemotherapy she did not respond to the treatment and so once again it was down to us to make that agonising decision.  Disney came to us from Joan Hubbard’s Colland kennel. Disney’s favourite past times were playing ball and having her tummy tickled. In between all that exertion she liked a good kip.  She craved human company and liked nothing better than to be snuggled up beside you. She was very choosey about her friends, but once you were her friend, you were her friend for life. The evil side of Disney showed her to be very destructive especially when it came to toys. She destroyed toys in minutes, no seconds. It was a bit unfortunate for our younger members of the team as Disney invariably managed to steal their toys from them and then she would wreck them. Despite trying, Disney never became a Mum.