For the mum-of-two from Sherborne, in Dorset, the arrival of Crumble meant a whole new chapter in her life.
“I work as a horse dentist and have built up a good career but the physical demands of the job are starting to show and for some time I’ve felt I needed to add something else to my skill set to take the pressure off the dentistry,” said Claire.
Crumble and four subsequent dogs have enabled the 42-year-old to take up dog training in gun sports and develop, over the past few years, a good reputation in the field.
“When I got Crumble a friend suggested that I should work him and so within a matter of months I went on a shoot and saw his potential as a gun dog.
“It was at that point that I decided to train Crumble to be a working gun dog and at the same time I was learning to shoot.
“As my skills developed Crumble and I were invited to more shoots and then
I decided to buy, train and sell more dogs to work on shoots. So far I’ve sold three and am now looking to buy another dog to train up.”
For the animals a big shoot can see eight dogs picking up more than 200 birds in a day, many of which are used for home consumption, others sold onto game dealers.
Claire said: “I started with shot guns, then after a time I was able to use an estate rifle as long as I was with a mentor but I knew I wanted to be able to go out on my own.
“I’d developed an interest in deer stalking and so felt the need to look into getting my own sporting rifle licence and some training in order for me to go out alone on stalks and sell the game on as well as stocking our own freezer.”
Through Women and Work funding Claire gained her Sporting Rifle module one, her Dogs for Deer training and her Deer Management Certificate which were all done at Higher Church Farm, in Barton St David, Somerset – a British Association for Shooting and Conservation accredited trainer.
“The course was absolutely brilliant and the people who ran it were incredibly helpful. I couldn’t have taken the course though if it hadn’t been for the Women and Work scheme I was able to do it all in one go which made real sense.”
Part of Claire’s training involved meat handling hygiene and how to gralloch a wild deer as well as checking for abnormalities before allowing the meat into the food chain.
“I am now enjoying my new skills and am legally able to stalk and shoot dear on my own and have a licence to sell the meat on. Undertaking the deer course has enabled me to train Crumble and my other dogs to a higher standard which again helps me when it comes to taking orders to train other people’s dogs.”
And when Claire and Crumble aren’t out in the fields she is training him to be a PAT dog - going into hospices and centres for children and adults with learning disabilities so they can pat and fuss him.
“A day out in the field on a shoot is nothing compared to a school visit or time at a day centre. He comes home much more tired having been petted and stroked by so many people but then he’s such a wonderful dog who wouldn’t want to make a fuss of him!”
