Vitals

DOB: 5/31/1991

Sex: Female

Sire: Maesydderwen Griffin

Dam: Burn Hill Megan

Breeder: Carl Colclough

Owner: Paul McGagh

Breedings:     Bred three times; twice to FC Omachie Tarf and once to Griffin’s Pride Rocky. Produced four Field Trial champions: FC Warrener’s Mistle Thrush (Porter), FC Warrener’s Blackbird (Cinders), FC Warrener’s Song Thrush (Gypsy) and FC Warrener’s Red Grouse.

 

Championed: March 10, 1995

Retired: 1998

Number of Lifetime Points: 22

Died: 2009

Lucy, age 23 months, won the first Cocker trial held April 4, 1993 at Fort Collins, Colorado. She became the third Cocker Field Trial Champion of the new millennium and the third Cocker to be featured on the cover of Spaniels in the Field, all before she was 3.

In the summer of 1991, while visiting his family in England, Paul purchased Lucy from Carl Colclough.  He had been referred to Carl Colclough and it turned out to be a fortuitous summer as Nancarrow Rosy Mantle (Brit) was purchased a few weeks later.  These two foundation bitches were to produce 1/3 or 10 Field Trial Champions when the total number of Cocker Champions at that time numbered 30.

Lucy epitomized the classic “busy action of a Cocker” in heavy undergrowth.  Many spaniels will not enter this type of cover, seeming to “bounce” off of underbrush.  Lucy found it fun and wiggled in without any hesitation often her wagging tail was your last sight of her!  While she generally had a merry, happy attitude, it was at its height when going into cover.  She tended to do her best work in the woods or in close cover and we were particularly fond of using her for rabbits, even though she did well on pheasant, quail and hens. She didn’t have the physical build or the speed you might like to see for wide-open spaces or large fields.  To the right is a photo of Paul with Brit on his left, Freckles in his arms and Lucy to his right.

A small bitch, Lucy had an exceptionally thick liver colored coat that seems to protect her from cold or damage from weeds or thorns.  But the same coat seems to harbor a chronic case of mites that caused her great distress and coarseness to touch.  We’ve were successful in controlling mites by using Frontline, although we found it was not completely effective.  Lucy is also prone to scratches on her eyes, due to her drive in heavy cover.  She seems stoic towards pain unlike some others that are “drama queens.”

To the left is a photo of Lucy (right) and her son Porter, taken at Christmas 1998.

She did show a marked propensity to gain weight unlike most Cockers that are more characteristically not hearty eaters.  Not a great athletic dog or flashy runner, her quartering was more appealing due to her small size and busy action rather than a graceful lope. She was very eager as a pup, almost annoying.  She possessed a pure honest desire to please.  She was very easy going, happy and loving Cocker good with children and other dogs.

Lucy showed a preference for Paul when he was present, but she transitioned easily  to anyone, especially if they took her hunting! She seems to like everybody.  The word hyper would not be totally applicable, but a need to be in physical contact was evident.

At the Idaho Field Trial in March 1995, Paul was running Lucy under Janet Christensen who was one of the judges.  The brace mate flushed a bird that took a crossing pattern over Lucy’s beat.  You could see from the bird’s trajectory that it would land, if not on top of Lucy’s head then within inches of her.  Paul pipped his whistle and Lucy whirled around dropping to a hup instantly.  The shot bird landed two feet from where Lucy sat. The members of the gallery held their breath to see if Lucy would break.  Lucy never took her eyes off Paul or even seemed bothered by the other dog coming across the course and taking the bird within inches of her. Even with that great performance, she only took a third place that day beat out by Freckles and Brit!

The photo to the right was taken on her last hunt for Merin quail in the Arizona Desert. She ran until her feet were bloody- note cactus mid left December 2000. She was to become deaf by age 13 and had cataracts before she died. Otherwise, she enjoyed perfect health.

Click here for additional 2012 Article by Paul McGagh on Lucy

Placements & Awards

Date	Placement	Location	Handler
4/4/1993	1st Place	Rocky Mountain Springer Spaniel Club, Fort Collins, Co.	Paul McGagh
9/12/1993	4th Place	Minnesota English Springer Spaniel Club, Minnesota	Paul McGagh
2/18/1994	3rd Place	Central Virginia English Springer Spaniel Club, Virginia	Paul McGagh
9/5/1994	3rd Place	English Cocker Spaniel Club of America, Wisconsin	Paul McGagh
10/14/1994	3rd Place	Southern Michigan Spaniel Trial Club, Michigan	Paul McGagh
3/10/1995	3rd Place	Snake River Springer Spaniel Club, Idaho	Paul McGagh
3/24/1995	1st Place	Euclid Field Trial Association, Ohio	Paul McGagh
3/8/1996	2nd Place	Snake River Springer Spaniel Club, Idaho	Paul McGagh