The American Brown Water Spaniel
F.J. Pfeifer
New London, Wisconsin
March 1926
I am much pleased at the opportunity to tell you about the so-called American brown water spaniel. We all have our kind of diversion and just what is the allurement of ones own pastime depends up on the makeup of the man.
The pages of the hsitory of the American brown water spaniel are few but we all know it is one of the oldest type of American sporting dogs there are. For years and years these dogs battled the world alone without receiving any recognition or encouragement. No one gave them any special attention on any recognized scale until a few years ago.
The Wolf River Kennels of New London, knowing their worth gave them a name and put forth every effort at considerable expense to the standardization of the breed. Heretofore, these dogs were fostered and bred among the outdoor men who met in the field and marshes.
My first hunting experience thirty years ago were with these small curly coated spaniels. My hunting was not limited to feathered game alone as they are very versatile and can be used for fur animals as well.
As far back as can be traced, these dogs are a mixture of the old English curly-coated retriever and the field spaniel. Their bloodlines are strong enough and old enough so that they breed true to color, conformity, and size. They are not a “pot pouri” of sporting dogs which their offspring always proves.
These dogs having been close pals and having lived in the enlightened environment of true sportsmen for so many years can not help but be of a more intelligent type. They are natural born hunters and retrievers, learn readily, want to serve and please their master, and will invariably anticipate your wishes in the field.
Their loyalty and comradeship to the home folks wins them a permanent place by the fireside. They are of a gentle nature, kind and tractable with children, obedient, and good watch dogs, yet neither troublesome nor viscous. On the other hand, they possess a grit of no mean demeanor
Our dogs have brown eyes, are brown with thick, short curly coat, medium in size, and weigh from about thirty-five pounds to forty pounds. They are small enough to tuck away in a canoe or auto, yet are hardy and strong enough to endure icy water and combat against tall grasses and rice in the marshes.
The pup whose cut I am sending to you retrieved a duck, a coot and a snipe when five and one half months old, the first time he was taken out.
He would retrieve from land or water when he was two months old. For the past few years we have offered to return the purchase price of a pup should he not prove satisfactory both in the home or in the field. As yet we have not been required to make good for one of the pups. This we think is a wonderful record.
From the Archives of Grant Beauchamp
Donated by his daughters Lori Jangala, Amanda Judd and Janice Lowe
