Barely a day goes by without someone contacting Mrs Kay or I with regards to purchasing a puppy. At the height of the recent demand for ‘lockdown puppies’, we would regularly receive around half a dozen enquiries a day. The demand is still high and as I write this (presently 11 am on a Saturday), we’ve already received two more emails this morning with regards to buying a puppy. We don’t consider ourselves as breeders… perhaps only having one, maybe two litters a year. Some serious breeders have been receiving over 20 requests a day for puppies!
Mrs Kay is in charge of our infrequent litters and her main goal is to try and breed the perfect working cocker – a neverending pursuit for many a breeder, professional or hobbyist. With the coronavirus situation, we decided not to join in with the trending surge of breeding puppies and have, instead, made plans to have two litters early next year – with the waiting lists already nearly full. Of course, with all the enquires the list could have been filled 10 times over, but just selling puppies to random homes is not what we’re about. Cashing in on the demand, although easy to do, is not on the agenda. I’ll talk about the monetary subject a little later.
They may look cute, but in the wrong homes these little squidgy pups can become a problem.
Esta historia es de la edición October 2020 de Sporting Shooter.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 2020 de Sporting Shooter.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
RSPB gives mixed message on shooting
Having recently attended the RSPB’s virtual AGM, Conor O’Gorman discusses the outcome of the charity’s year-long review of game bird shooting
Causeway for concern
Alan Jarrett’s renewed interest in reading takes him down memory lane to an offshore island duck flight that very nearly ended in disaster
Through a purple patch
The Garrows Estate is taking a conservation-focused approach to restoring the wildlife populations and biodiversity on the Scottish heather moorland.
When the wheels fall off
Losing form on a day’s shooting can be infuriating, especially if you’ve been shooting like a god up to that point. Simon O’Leary looks at some common causes and how to remedy them
Beaches, books & bad behaviour!
The annual Kay family vacation to Northumberland offers a chance to give the cockers a blast on the beach – although they don’t always shower themselves in glory, as Ryan Kay recalls...
Using the Stop whistle
Now you’ve instilled the basics, it’s time to up the ante with some more tricky distance work. Howard Kirby explains how to take the core Stop whistle command to the next level
The humble teal
They may be tiny, but as far as Rupert Butler is concerned, the appeal of this little duck is huge. He recalls some of his most memorable nights in pursuit of these aerial acrobats
Fab all-rounder
Mike is impressed with the Fabarm Elos B2 Field Notte, which offers great value for money, is suited to fieldwork or clays and is future-proofed for use with steel in all choke constrictions
CALL OF THE WILD
Dom Holtam reconnects with one of the purest forms of shotgun shooting as he walks-up woodcock over pointing dogs in the Scottish Highlands
A yen for the Fens
Tony Jackson recounts a memorable duck flight over an area of Fenland in Norfolk with his friend and author, the late Alan Savory
