Wingfield Warrior
Wingfield Warrior (or Quinn or Gutteboy) was one of my own dogs, born 19.06.99, by the import Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae out of Wingfield Velvet (Berryfield Digger – Wingfield Token). There were six pups in the litter. The two males Warrior and Warpaint + the females Winterbreeze and Wag stayed here in New Zealand, while the two males Will and Whip went to Australia. All except Warpaint and Whip have been trialled and won prizes. Winterbreeze was an excellent dog and the last bitch Dr Leon Mortensen bred from (using Berryfield Garth as stud). In Australia Will had a litter with a bitch imported from myself (Northstream Alinghi) and here in New Zealand I used Warrior on my imported Norwegian bitch Lapphaugen’s Moulin. From that litter I kept a brilliant bitch called Northstream Blue Belle.
Quinn was compactly built and quite small. He had beautiful, fluid movements and was a cunning bird finder. He was probably the easiest dog to train and handle I’ve ever had, but could often be sticky when asked to flush birds. He wasn’t too keen on backing other dogs either, but was easy to control with a stop command. I forgave him those two faults considering he basically never missed or accidentally flushed birds. His bird finding abilities and his skills to search with any wind and in any terrain, closely co-operating with me, made him a joy to hunt over. He was also an absolutely superb retriever, in any cover and in water. He performed numerous retrieves completely blowing away myself, my hunting mates and his new owner. I doubt I will ever have a retriever like him again.
His daughter Blue Belle has inherited a lot of the things I valued with Quinn. She is also a brilliant bird finder, but she is not sticky and she also backs 100% with a lot of intensity. She is also an excellent retriever in difficult cover, average in water. She is also stylish, with the same good movements as Quinn and has more power in her stride, inherited from her mother.
Quinn at the age of 3, on set at Whangarei Heads, July 2002.
Quinn with the NZ Gordon Setter Club Trophy, after winning the annual Waikato trial in 2002.
Quinn and F-T training at the Karikari Peninsula in Northland, Easter 2000.
Quinn on point with pointer Arista Forzudo backing.
F-T ready with the gun.
(Photo from trial he won trophy in picture to the left.)
F-T ready with the gun.
(Photo from trial he won trophy in picture to the left.)
Posing by the sea, at the age of 9 months.
Quinn in the surf at Ocean Beach.
(We used to body surf together…)
(We used to body surf together…)
Quinn in May 2004
Quinn with the first dozen (out of three dozen) mallards shot on the opening morning of the duck shooting in 2001. Here his incredible water passion really developed, as we were hunting along a deep tidal river, which especially at outgoing tide was quite fast flowing. Four guns, sometimes shooting doubles he really had to move fast, but he handled it brilliantly, and while spending time waiting for the birds to come he just lay there still and quiet gazing up in the sky to see if any ducks would fall out.
Here Quinn is one year old, photographed
on a break Quail-hunting in 2000.
on a break Quail-hunting in 2000.
Line & Quinn at Bendigo Station, South Island 2003. It was the only time Quinn experienced snow (while Line knew it from Norway).