hold nationally recognized titles from any major registry, so pursuit of a pup from proven field dogs is difficult at best. Buyers must rely on the word of the breeder to assure them of the hunting ability in the parents of a puppy rather than pedigrees indicating a long lineage of ancestors who had earned numerous field titles.
The reason for this is that for decades there were only two organizations that offered nationally recognized hunt-test title programs for the American Water Spaniel. These organizations, the Hunting Retriever Club (HRC) and the North American Hunting Retriever Association (NAHRA), provide testing programs most suitable for the common retriever and less suited to a spaniel. This is not to say that the AWS or any other spaniel is incapable of performing the requirements of these testing programs but instead that the programs may not be as conducive to the work of the AWS and as such you may not see as many American Water Spaniels, as a percentage of the breed’s population, participating in these tests as you would other breeds.
With ardent support from breeders and owners alike, American Water Spaniels can look forward to a bright future in the show ring and in the field.
Another reason for low participation in these testing programs might be the fact that many hunters who own a hunting AWS look upon them not as specialized retrievers but as all-around field dogs and as such do not feel comfortable training them for one specific task. Whatever the reason for the relatively low number of American Water Spaniels participating in the retriever hunt tests, there have still been slightly more than 20 retriever titles awarded to American Water Spaniels by these 2 organizations over the last 20 or so years. This is a good indication that with a dedicated owner and a solid training program the AWS can succeed in these hunt-test programs.
For more than 15 years there was a struggle between 3 factions of the AWS community that prevented the AWS from participating in American Kennel Club hunt tests of any type. This struggle centered on a difference of opinion over what was the more appropriate field-testing program for the American Water Spaniel available from the AKC. The AKC requires a sporting breed’s parent club to declare the type of test that the breed will be allowed to participate in, and the members of the AWSC could not come to an agreement on which program was best. Therefore, for well over a decade the breed was unable to participate in any AKC field-testing program. Then in 2004 a compromise resolution was brought before the membership of the AWSC.
This resolution called upon the membership to accept AKC field classification of the AWS as a flushing spaniel, allowing it to participate in AKC Spaniel Hunt Tests and requiring that the breed also pass a special Retrieving Certificate Test designed, monitored and awarded by the AWSC. The resolution was passed by a large majority of AWSC members and was accepted by the AKC board of directors in November of 2004. As a result of this compromise agreement, the AWS was able to begin participating in AKC hunt tests as of June 1, 2005. It became just the second AKC-recognized sporting breed that must meet both the AKC requirements for an AKC hunt-test title and the parent club’s requirement for a special certificate before any AKC field title can be awarded. The reason this action was taken was to assure those concerned that the AKC hunt-test program would not adversely impact the American Water Spaniel’s historical working qualities and that steps were being taken to prevent a disintegration of the breed’s field abilities. By combining the upland work of AKC Spaniel Hunt Tests with the water-retrieving work of the AWSC Retrieving Certificate Test, it is believed that the field qualities of the AWS will remain solidly intact and help to assure the preservation of the breed as an all-around hunting companion.
Preserving the American Water Spaniel is a concern of many of the breed’s enthusiasts. As of the end of 2005 the AWS ranked 128 out of 154 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club with just 187 dogs registered, and it was the fifth least popular sporting breed recognized by the American Kennel Club. This low number of registrations and dubious distinction reflect a continuing trend for the AWS. Whether or not this trend can be reversed and the number of AWS registrations returned to its higher levels of 15 years earlier is yet to be seen. One thing is for certain, those who choose to bring an AWS into their lives are rewarded with the love of a curly-haired, brown dog whose personality, tenacity and spirit will fill their lives with great joy for years to come.
Today’s American Water Spaniel still retains the water instincts that he acquired from his early ancestors.
In testament to the enduring qualities of the American Water Spaniel are two stories of recognition and honor bestowed upon the breed. The first took place in Arizona during the 1930s, and it landed one AWS by the name of “Johnnie” some national publicity when he appeared in a cartoon by Robert Ripley as part of his Ripley’s Believe It or Not! series. Johnnie was owned by Dixie Lee Brayton, the daughter of Arizona Representative Nelson D. Brayton from Miami, Arizona. Apparently Johnnie often visited the capitol building when the legislature was in session and roamed the halls of the “chambers checking up on the membership, occasionally stopping at the press table to growl.” At some point the then Speaker of the House, Vernon G. Davis, decided that Johnnie could not be wandering through the capitol without official approval and issued the AWS a card which read: “Arizona House of Representatives, Thirteenth Legislature, Phoenix, Arizona, Feb. 5, 1937, Johnnie (House Mascot) (of) Miami, Arizona, is entitled to entrance to house on official business. Approved, Signed, Vernon G. Davis, Speaker of the House.”
Besides being the official Arizona state house mascot, Johnnie was also known for sneaking away from home and going down to the local football field to watch his buddies playing football. Once there he would wait for the opportunity to run out and snatch up the football so that he could show the players some real moves. One of his most famous exploits in this regard was in 1931 when he grabbed the ball off the field during the annual game between the Globe and Miami teams. He picked up the ball in his mouth between downs and ran all the way downfield for a touchdown that was subsequently denied by the referee. Johnnie was probably quite upset about that ruling, but it did not deter him from continuing to play the game of football whenever the opportunity arose.
A more recent honor was bestowed not upon one specific AWS but on the entire breed by the state of Wisconsin when it designated the American Water Spaniel as its official state dog. The effort to obtain such recognition had been driven over a number of years by the students of the eighth grade social studies classes at Washington Middle School in New London, Wisconsin, home to the breed’s founder Dr. F. J. Pfeifer. Their teacher, Lyle Brumm, had come up with the idea of teaching the children a bit about the legislative process through an actual project to lobby for the passage of a bill designating the AWS as the state dog. Over a period of five years, these middle-school students worked tirelessly to obtain the designation. Through their efforts and those of a few other notable Wisconsin personalities, the bill passed and became law on April 22, 1986, when then Governor Anthony Earl signed the bill, making the American Water Spaniel just one of a few breeds honored as a state dog.
Max, owned by Aaron Glann, displays one of his first ducks.
THE AWS IN EUROPE
In recent years the American Water Spaniel has made its way beyond the confines of the US and is beginning to strike the fancy of a few Europeans. In 1995 the first of a series of exports to the Czech Republic took place and formed the foundation stock for a breeding program that is now nearly ten years old. All in all, two Czech breeders, Jiri Fiala and Josef Sos, imported seven American Water Spaniels from a variety of kennels in an effort to maintain genetic diversity. These breeders have successfully produced pups that have performed well in field tests and conformation shows held in central and western Europe.
