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Dogs and horses have always been a big part of my life. I was born and raised in Texas quail country, where my father had pointers, setters and Brittanies. My brother and I ventured out to the versatile hunting dogs and brought in German Wirehaired Pointers as well. I stepped into the show world with English Springer Spaniels and won my first sporting group when I was 16.
After my last German Wirehair died, I heard about the docile, gentle, Italian Wirehaired Pointer, also called the Spinone Italiano. I was fascinated with them and obviously, I still am. With the help of breed expert Carolyn Fry, I imported two outstanding girls from Kay Holden in England and have continued to add to my kennel with some of the best bloodlines in the world. My most recent additions to the family Ovidius Dal Podere Antico from Holland and Annie od Spesovsky Skaly from the Czech Repuclic.
I am so fortunate to have seen Spinoni and visited with breeders in four countries, including Italy. My opinions, eye and goals have certainly been shaped by these visits and experiences. It is fascinating to listen to breeders who have had these special dogs in their families for several generations in Italy and it is incredible to watch the dogs work the rugged mountains in their beautiful homeland.
It is my goal to keep the Spinone what it is - a rustic, substantial, strongly built dog, that is constructed with "front wheel drive". The movement of the Spinone is not equivalent to the movement of the galloping breeds - and it should not be. It is an endurance trotter.
The Spinone is a dog with powerful bone; so a dog lacking bone and/or substance is not what I want here. The topline is unique and beautiful. A sway back is just as much a fault as a straight topline in this breed. Both are undesirable. The withers are placed just ABOVE the croup on an imaginary horizontal line - when stacked and moving. Uphill or downhill movement (loin above the withers) are both highly undesirable.
Making this breed into an American version of the Spinone is the opposite of what I wish to do. Refining them so that they are prettier and fancier is not part of my agenda. I love them the way they are! Their unique, long, lean heads, their soft expression, their beautiful toplines and their DEEP underlines, with minimal tuck-up must not be lost. To do so compromises the very essence of the breed and turns it into something else entirely.
The nearly-square body of the Spinone, the substance, and the melting, beguiling expression.....these must not be lost! So, the whole dog needs to be taken into consideration when I breed a litter. Health, temperament, hunting ability, conformation and structure. Last, but certainly not least: TYPE is a crucial factor in producing a true Spinone. And there you have it - a very brief description of what I hope to produce when I breed a litter.
The above qualities are what make the Spinone the truly unique and individual hunting dog that it is. The Spinoni structure, conformation and type are what give them the ability to work in the terrain and conditions that they were orginally intended for. And of course, along with these characteristics the dogs must have the drive and bidability necessary to do their job.
I am fortunate to have the best mentors I could ask for in this breed. As with any breed, health issues are always of the highest concern. You may have already guessed that I don't breed without putting a lot of thought and research into the pedigrees and character of both parents first. I will do the very best I can to honor and "keep" the Spinone as it is. My goal is to breed dogs that would be considered excellent examples in their homeland.
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