Mickey (Ch. Cactus Dauntless SH WDX ), owned by CSCA President Jack Rutherford and his wife Vanna Wells, at a hunt test.

In Aesop's fable about the tortoise and the hare, the slow-moving tortoise did not seem to have a ghost of a chance in the race against the fast, flashy hare. But the plodding tortoise stuck to his task while the hare flitted about doing other things, secure in the knowledge that he could catch and pass the pokey tortoise any time he chose.

Unfortunately, the moment he chose was a bit late as the tortoise reached the winning post just ahead of the swift hare. As he smiled at the losing hare, the tortoise said, "Slowly does it every time."

The people who hunt with Clumber spaniels would agree with the tortoise's assessment. The race is not always to the swift. A steady, methodical hunting dog often finds more birds than the fast, flashy one. Passed birds are rarely a problem when the dog on the ground is a Clumber.

"Clumbers are deliberate, thorough and tenacious," said Roe Froman, DVM, who with her husband Gordie owns Ch. BlueMoon's Heart and Soul CD SH TD WDX CGCc6 ("Tillie") and Ch. BlueMoon's Straight From the Heart JH ("D Too") who has one qualifying score at the master level. "But this does not mean they're really slow. That's a common misconception about Clumbers.

"They hunt all likely bird cover and will go through anything to get a bird. They are steady and reliable with magnificent noses. It is a rare occurrence indeed when a Clumber misses a bird."

"These can include seeing the dog trot off in an unexpected direction with its nose to the ground, an increase in the snorting sound that they often make, or seeing them suddenly stop and swivel their head around so they are staring right at a clump of cover. When that happens, you better get ready.

Tillie (Ch. BlueMoon's Heart and Soul CD SH TD WDX CGCc6 ), one of Gordie and Roe Froman's Clumbers, stops to a flush.

Valana Wells and her husband Jack Rutherford, the current president of the Clumber Spaniel Club of America, own Ch. Cactus Dauntless SH WDX ("Mickey"), Cactus Wilbur Wright SH WDX ("Wilbur"), Marchland Most Secret SH WDX ("Amity"), an import from the United Kingdom, and "Pancho" (Cactus Flying Solo) who has two qualifying scores in junior and is working on her championship. Valana noted, "A hunter who likes working behind a wide-ranging pointer or a speedy field-bred springer will probably be disappointed with a Clumber.

"The breed was originally developed to penetrate very heavy and thorny cover in order to flush birds from areas that were inaccessible to lighter spaniels. This job did not require great speed but did necessitate great strength and determination. The Clumber does not cover large expanses quickly. It proceeds methodically and thoroughly. It has a notably excellent nose which means it rarely misses a bird and is a natural tracker."

Bob Wickwire is the field chair for the Clumber Spaniel Club of America, and he and his wife Julie owned Ch. Cameo Comedy the Divine Ms. M MH WD, the first Clumber to achieve master hunter status. Bob said hunting with a Clumber requires the hunter to stay alert.

"Clumbers tend to be methodical and stay fairly close to the hunter when quartering or hunting through a field. They are also ground scenting dogs that excel at finding and trailing game. What this means is that the hunter has to learn to spot and key into the subtle behaviors that indicate when a Clumber is birdy.