Can minority spaniels survive?

OVER the years I’ve had the privilege of shooting over all four breeds of our so-called minority spaniels, namely the Welsh springer, Clumber, Sussex and field spaniel. I’ve listed them in their order of minority, though the Sussex and the field compete annually for the title of our rarest native spaniel. (I’ve excluded the Irish water spaniel, as only in the show ring is it classified as a spaniel.) What all four have in common is rarity and the distinct possibility that they are heading towards extinction.

Whether that