Jay Lowry with two of his cherished spaniels. (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Moore)
Jay Lowry is a profitable dentist who owns his observe in small city Illinois. In some methods, he jogs my memory slightly of Hermey—the elf that left Santa’s workshop within the 1964 traditional film Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Hermey was a dentist caught within the physique of an elf and Jay, a canine man within the physique of a dentist. The apparent in frequent is dental, however Jay hasn’t run away from fixing tooth in pursuit of his affections. Instead, he’s used them to finance and gasoline his ardour for what has come to be Ryglen Gundogs.
We met twenty plus years in the past, simply two guys from the Midwest, down in Mississippi at a canine coaching workshop. Both of us had our first British Labradors on the top of our lead, each of us desperate to be taught. We have been there by ourselves with northern accents in what could possibly be described as a overseas land. I’ve favored him from the start and take into account him to be an in depth good friend, although we could have just one or two conversations a yr and may see one another only some occasions a decade. When we do, it’s like we left off yesterday. Twenty some years later, we have been nonetheless studying collectively, this time within the woods close to my camp in northern Wisconsin.
We agreed on dates to hunt collectively. A visit of firsts for Jay and firm. His first-time looking in Wisconsin, first hunt for woodcock (the namesake chook to his spaniel pack), and his first pursuit of King Bonasa.
I squirreled away a few of my finest spots for that week. Keep in thoughts, the “best” doesn’t at all times imply the best and it proved difficult at occasions to inexperienced infantry from the flatlands of Illinois. For three days, we adopted within the wake of braced Labradors and petite spaniels by circumstances he described as “what I think of when I hear about the jungles of Vietnam.” Our firm moved by a sea of pool cue sized aspen, ticked with lonely veneer maple, and combined amongst scrubby oak of the following era. Over a sandy gravel ridge, we slunk deep right into a pothole-like backside, left spherical as a kettle by the Laurentide glacier. I heard, and even felt, the feeling that each one grouse hunters know nicely and lust for, adopted by a single report from Jay’s course.
A newcomer will discover these Norse partridge a far cry from the Dakotan cock pheasant. We took a good period of time to look at, admire and pay homage to that chook.
A History of Spaniels
As Jay is to Hermey the dentist elf, a person named Ian Openshaw is to Yukon Cornelius, the prospector who helped lead Hermey alongside within the expedition. Ian, arguably probably the most profitable area trialer within the spaniel world at this time, is the place each Jay’s affect and breeding inventory comes from. It was a rabbit hunt within the UK with Openshaw again in 2012, behind his Rytex line of cocker spaniels, that began all of it for Jay. It was our grouse hunt behind them, ten years later, that began me down a rabbit gap stuffed with questions and led me to hunt out solutions. Like so many issues, the deeper one digs the extra advanced it will possibly get. I’ll spare you the frivolous and deal with the extra crucial, attention-grabbing, and pertinent as to my commentary of Jay Lowry and his dogs.
In an try to oversimplify, they’re of the spaniel affix. As the identify implies, probably from Spanish origin, later developed in Britain, and arguably one of many oldest breeds recognized. Around the yr 1600, spaniels have been separated into two teams, Water and Land. From that they have been decided to be both setting spaniels or “springing” (flushing) spaniels. It was the springer spaniel that laid the inspiration for all modern-day flushing spaniels, however “springing” spaniels have been moreover categorized primarily based on measurement. From largest to smallest, the English springer spaniel, the Sussex spaniel, and the English cocker spaniel. If you’re nonetheless following alongside, get this: Early on, the identical litter might produce all three variations amongst litter mates relying on how massive or small the pups have been. And so, I saved digging.
He pulled into camp in a pickup truck with a two-hole canine field in again that rivaled any clown automotive circus act. When doorways opened, the spaniels saved popping out in quite a lot of shapes and colours. From buckskin and blonde to coal black, there have been multicolor, monolithic, and a few with regal white crests. There was George, Billy, Gus, Faith, Wendy, Betty, and extra. They did all have one factor in frequent: They didn’t take their eyes off of Jay and their heat expressions have been stuffed with “what do you want me to do?” Jay defines his breeding objectives as producing dogs that develop cooperatively, naturally, and over time, somewhat than only a want for velocity.
Cockers are Like a Box of Chocolates
It was the primary sight of those dogs the place my questions actually began. Consistency is necessary to me, significantly in breeding and genetics. What was one of many best to visualise, and on this case was some of the troublesome for me to grasp, is the aesthetics of the breed. I knew I used to be cockers, however I additionally realized how little I truly knew about them. I believed I noticed slightly of the Gordon setter, Boykin spaniel, golden retriever, water spaniel, springer spaniel, Munsterlander, flat coat retriever, perhaps even at contact of an English setter? Jay advised me at one level of his interrogation, “It’s like opening a bag of M&M’s when we have a litter. You just don’t know what color you’re going to get next.”
After seeing them transfer afield, to me they appeared cut up 3 ways evenly: One-part Tasmanian satan, one-part crimson squirrel, and the steadiness, fisher cat. It was jaw dropping to look at this stuff orbit Jay like he was the Queen Bee in a hive. Jay stays cool, calm, and assured whereas their buzz at a feverish pitch had me on pins and needles. They labored collectively, beneath management, and displaying a symphonic mixture of genetics and coaching. I’m nonetheless embarrassed to have stated it out loud: “How can you tell when they are birdy?” I will need to have seemed like somebody who asks, “How can you tell them apart?” about our three black Labradors. The form of query solely requested by the untrained eye and absurd to anybody who’s spent any time round them.
I don’t assume I’m too far out on a limb right here saying that the English cocker spaniel has change into, or is changing into, certainly one of, if not probably the most, in style developments in American sporting dogs. In distinction to their American cousins, they’ve change into the pragmatic accent to all issues upland and extra. As this motion and the demand for Ryglen dogs grows, challenges current themselves for Jay accordingly.
“I got into dogs because I love to hunt with them, but the business side of this limits my ability to go on those hunts. I’m ok with it because I’ve personally had such incredible experiences being a first-time hunting dog owner and trainer. Now, I get to give that to others.”
Perhaps selfishly, to provide time up within the area is one thing I’d battle with. After spending any period of time with Jay, you’ll see how he operates and perceive that offering the very best expertise for many who have their dogs is his precedence.
I’ve a devotion to the Labrador and certain at all times will, however that week I discovered reverence in witnessing how these little cockers, whose hearts a lot higher in measurement relative to their our bodies, went by patches of hazel and hawthorn, the type that can drive grown males to cease and ask themselves, “Is this really worth it?” When I appeared again in my journal; we flushed 54 grouse and 42 woodcock over three days. We bagged simply 4 grouse and 6 woodcock in whole.
This sort of hunt could be like aged Gruyère, an acquired style. By Jay’s personal admission, his listening to as of late is lower than correct, and the grouse woods aren’t made to be commentary pleasant.
“I do love the wide-open prairies, where I can see the dogs and the birds,” Jay advised me. “If I can’t watch dogs work, it’s just not as much fun. But this hunt was not just about birds, it’s been the people that made the experience. But my dogs…they absolutely are made for it.”
