Be brave: go exotic

David Tomlinson suggests some unusual gundog breeds for the adventurous Gun who fancies something a little bit different

- David Tomlinson

A couple of years ago I went to photograph dogs on a local shoot. All but one of the Guns arrived in a Range Rover, Discovery or similar modern 4x4: the one exception drove up in a Series I Land Rover. It was a 1958 SWB model, and had been beautifully restored. It looked tiny when parked alongside the latest crop of off-roaders, and I was fascinated to see its owner open the back door to reveal a handsome pair of flat-coated retrievers. While working flat-coats may not be rarities, they are sufficiently unusual to be noteworthy.

I later chatted to the Land Rover man, who told me that he had owned his machine for more than 30 years and had restored it himself. He went on say that he used to have labradors, but had switched to flat-coats as he fancied something different that would complement the Land Rover. There are many similarities between a classic car and one of the less common breeds of gundog, he explained. They both require a great deal of work, but the satisfaction of ownership is the reward.