MAPLEHAZE

Watersprite (Purdy) was the foundation bitch of the Maplehaze kennel. The first GWP in the country to be graded (very good) at a spring pointing test, Purdy was also a field trial winner. As a working dog Purdy excelled on partridge and on moorland. Hard running, but always remaining biddable, Purdy was fast and stylish, but also earned her keep picking-up pheasant and duck.
Mated to Ch Jayah of Tickencote she produced my M. Nightjar winner of novice and all-aged stakes and 19 field trial awards half of these in open stakes.

Nightjar (Willow) was the first dog in the country to gain the coverted "excellent" grade at a spring pointing test. M. Mcphails (Fen) owned by John Naylor, Willow's grandson, was the next dog in England to achieve this. Willow has won two field trials and has a total of nineteen awards over half of these at open stakes. As well as her many field trial prizes, Willow has worked hard all her life and has been used extensively picking-up. At nearly sixteen years old Willow is now retired but was, without doubt, the best picking-up dog that I have ever owned. Willow qualified for, and ran in the last K.C. HPR Championship stake.
Mated to Badger of Bryantscroft she produced Dave Harris's novice and all- aged trial winning M.Cul Mor. Her mating to Wiggmansburg Audubon produced my own M. Finnlaggan (Storm) who has 5 field trial prizes many pointing test grades and 2 RCC's. Storm, who lives up to her name, is very hard working and fearless in cover and water.

Storm was mated to Kenny Hamilton's excellent working and field trial winning dog "The Complete Viking" producing Fern who developed into an outstanding grouse dog. Her ability to find grouse when they were scarce and hold them on point, working in complete harmony with her guns, made her a very popular dog amongst shooters coming to Speyside to shoot grouse over pointers. An easy biddable dog, Fern also worked hard picking-up but to shoot over as a grouse dog, she was in a class of her own. Fern also worked for falconers on the grouse moor where her fitness, stamina and ability to hold birds staunchly for long periods, gained us even more work.
Fern was of excellent type, confirmation and coat gaining 3 RCC's in her short show career. Tragically Fern developed a tumour and we lost this talented bitch early in 2005.
Fern's brother M. Macallum owned by Bob Green has proved to be a super deer stalking dog who also manages grouse and more formal pheasant work. Also from this litter, John Naylors M. Macphails has won both novice and all-aged stakes and has a host of other F.T prizes and spring pointing gradings including the coverted "excellent"

Isla, Fern's daughter from her only litter sired by Roy Cullen's Bryantscroft Tamarind, has had to take on her Dam's roll as our principal working pointer at the tender age of 20 months. Sire "Oscar", (BryanscroftTamarind ) is a field trial winner and while not extensively trialled, has been consistently in the awards at all-aged and open stakes. Oscar has the biddable kind temperament that ensures he is a pleasure to work in any shooting situation.
Isla started work this season on snipe and grouse on our local moors. Fast and stylish, yet sensitive and careful when she hits game scent, her training has presented no difficulties. Isla, a superb snipe pointer locating single birds in huge areas of moorland, started her working life by producing this quarry beautifully for her guns. Just as good on grouse, Isla lives to point but is not so keen to flush her birds once she has locked on! Isla worked grouse right through the difficult conditions in October and November until the season finished in December.
The season continued with pheasant partridge and duck ( both picking-up on driven shoots and being shot over) and finally finished with woodcock pointing in January. Working in dense woodland, using the "continental" bell method so that we could locate her on point,she showed her versatility by adapting to this close work.
Isla ran in the GSP Club Spring Grouse pointing Test at Drummochter in 2006 and was graded Very Goog in very difficult conditions (lying snow,icy winds and white hares everywhere!)
Isla has now run in her first working test which she won with 98/100 points beating her eleven year old Grandmother by just one point. This was the Open Class of the GSP Club's Working Test (Highland Branch) and there were 16 entries.

The Maplehaze Kennel , founded in 1984, specialises in strong running working dogs that have been successful both in the ring and in the field. All our breeding stock have been, are, and always will be working dogs first and foremost. Since our move to Speyside four years ago we have had little chance to compete with the dogs but even more opportunity to work them. All our stock have good BVA/KC hip-scores and the sound sociable temperament that is absolutely essential in a working dog.
Dram our black Lab was added to the team in 2002 and has won a novice trial and had a creditable third place amounst stiff competition at an open working test. All this in spite of her owner being completely new to retrievers. Dram has now been joined by her daughter Skerry (Maplehaze Sealskerry) who has just gained third place in Puppy, at the North of Scotlands Working Test for retrievers, at eleven months old.
Enquiries and visitors are welcome.