The Piggery was situated on the outskirts of my hometown, Newtonards in County Down, Northern Ireland. In an outhouse with a stove, a few straw bales and a couple of, dangerous to sit on, chairs met a group of men who came to run their dogs in the pen outside and to talk spaniels, good down to earth common sense about training, breeding and management.

This was a company of the dedicated, their knowledge was profound and their deeds great. From a five mile radius came the first great spaniels of Ireland - Championship and Irish Championship winner F.T.Ch Inlers Harryslin and Championship winner F.T.Ch Ruff and Tuff and F.T.Ch Speckle of Ardoon with the unequalled record in either the Cocker or A.V.Championships of three wins in a row.

There were also Field Trial Champions Breckonhill Brave, Gardez, Highland Boy, Crowhill Sal, Sliguy of Ardoon, Willie Snaffles, Jontis Gwibernant Gynan and from here came the dam of F.T.Ch Gwibernant Ashley Rob and dogs and bitches which went to the famous Saighton kennel of Talbot Radcliffe who made up Champions in America as well as here.

There are others but I write without records, just from memory and forty years is quite a time!

What of the men - the Harry in Harryslin came from Harry Johnston, the town cobbler who bred spaniels, good ones, and even in old age could have 'walked the legs off' most men.

Bob Fettis, a Policeman who won a trial on Saturday with F.T.Ch Jontis Gwibernant Gynan and took him ratting on Sunday. Bob was a great spaniel man who was always too busy training dogs to study for promotion so he remained a happy Constable for a long time until he had a bit of luck and bought a pub.

Bob Garvan, the keeper, arrived at the A.V. Championship dressed in a rather tattered ex army despatch riders leather jacket, side-locks almost meeting on the point of his chin and a big very brown spaniel on a lead of binder twine. Someone sniggered "who's that guy?" They soon knew who when Bob's F.T.Ch Breckonhill Brave was just pipped into second place by Tom Laird's F.T.Ch Criffel Snipe in a blistering Champion stake.

One of the great characters was "Hicks" Newell, a joiner by trade and at that time a machine operator. Hicks owned a fantastic bitch Indy of Ards, which on open ground, I have yet to see her equal. For this bitch he was offered a vast sum, which would today be equal to many thousands of pounds. He sucked on his pipe, blew a cloud of smoke and said "she will not leave me" turned away and no more was said. This was the man who when called for the second round in a trial told the judge that the dog was out, "I did not put him out" said the judge, "No" said Hicks "I saw what he did and I put him out".

Then there was Hugh Clark, who trained and ran in trials immaculately dressed in a Donegal tweed suit and trained many good spaniels, including Ruff and Tuff which won the A.V. Championship. Hugh was the manager of Burton's Tailor's shop in Belfast. When you went into Burton's, Hugh's client was immediately placed in the hands of an assistant while Hugh talked dogs and measured you for a suit. Billie Plunket who owned the Piggery swore that you always received the arms of your suit so long that you could just about see your finger nails, hence there would have to be one or two more visits for alterations so Hugh could talk spaniels.

By keeping my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open I learnt a lot from these men.

I remember Old Harry, who really enjoyed travelling the country buying pigs for his cooked ham and bacon factory, spitting out the contents of a well chewed mouthful of black plug tobacco before replying to one who was going to send his bitch across the channel to a Field Trial Champion, whose sire was a local dog. "His Sire could breed a good one" said Harry and then replenished the lost contents with a fresh bite of black plug.

That which was the Piggery came into being without discussion, without rules, without regulation and passed away as it was formed.



Footnote: Two miles from the Piggery - in 1964 A.V.Championship was held for the first time in Ireland hosted by Clandeboye Estate, Bob Garvan was head keeper. The Championship was declared very successful. In 1992 by kind permission of Lady Duffern the A.V. Championship was again held at Clandeboyes, Co.Down, Barry Garvan, the son of Bob was Head Keeper. It was voted that Lady Duffern is President of Antrim & Down Springer Spaniel Club.