Celtic Kennels - Home of the Clumbersome Clumbers

Our adventure with Clumber Spaniels began in 1992, when we made all the mistakes prone to first-time dog buyers. We failed to consider our home environment and lifestyle as we settled on a breed. And we compounded the error by poring over the classifieds rather than seeking a good breeder.

We ended up with a very poorly bred English Springer Spaniel, which began to display temperament problems almost immediately. We thought a playmate might help Hogan. Research led us to the Sussex Spaniel breed and to Murphy.


Murphy	Murphy and Hogan	Hogan

The pairing with Murphy was a success for many years. But in 1998, Hogan’s temperament problems grew more pronounced. We tried one drug and behavioral intervention after another and without success. The ultimate diagnosis was Rage and we faced a heartbreaking decision.

We decided to salve our grief and Murphy’s solitude with another dog. But this time, we were educated by experience. We’d already done the homework to realize the Clumber Spaniel might be a suitable breed for our lifestyle. Still more research led us to Bella Vita Kennels in Washington state, and to Riley. He introduced us to the world of Conformation dog shows and we’ve never looked back.