It dawned on me today that I hadn't posted an introduction yet! I've been around for a few months, so I guess it's about time. I don't have a "working dog" yet; I'm focusing on agility for the time being but would like to try schutzhund or perhaps French Ring when I'm older and out of the house (and away from family members who are excellent at corrupting my training).
So here I am, and here's my pride and joy, Tessie. This is from April of 2006 at my school's match show. We compete in showmanship and all of the fun classes, and will also be competing in obedience this year. (I go to an agricultural school and take canine-related classes on things like showmanship, obedience, grooming, and anatomy/physiology. It's a blast. You should see the looks I get when I bring my dog onto the bus with me in the morning!)
And here's a shot of my lovely Tessie doing agility. This was from her first trial, in May of 2005. She hasn't changed much! It was a very wet, rainy, crappy day and was definately a learning experience. With Springers, you spend some of your time planning course strategy over things like wind direction and livestock barns -- the nose rules all. Nevertheless, we earned a few placements in 2006, beating out the Border Collies! We compete in USDAA and are about half-way to our Agility Dog title -- still need Gamblers and Snooker Qs, and one more Standard Q.
Here's another shot that shows off her lovely expression. It's truly her best quality!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/faelyana/PICT0001a73.jpg
For those curious, Tessie is from field lines. However, several breeders have asked me if she is a show/field cross or even an English import (!) because of her substantial size. She was the runt of the litter and weighs 45lbs in top form. Her mother was small, but still had good substance (a lot of field bitches look like roly-poly bugs on short stilty legs -- round body, short skinny legs, no fur) and her dad was a gorgeous 50lb working Springer in the Berkshires who hunted every night to earn his keep. She's a great mix of the two. She has a lot of substance without being oversized and is very scent-oriented. She probably would have made a great hunting dog, but I'm a vegetarian, so obviously things collide. I'm toying with the idea of tracking with her in the next couple of years.
My next puppy will be another Springer -- this time, a show prospect from a wonderful local breeder who has the same "breed goals" as I do. She wants to eliminate the difference between show and field ("great dogs have titles at both ends of their names") and currently has a bitch with a breed ring Ch., senior hunter, companion dog, rally novice, and open agility titles! This dog will be the dam of my future puppy. (We'll be co-owning this puppy.) The litter will be on the ground in about three months. I can't wait!
About time I did one of these!
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