If you are interested in possibly getting a  Welsh Springer from us, we ask that you send us an email with some information regarding your desire for a Welsh Springer Spaniel. We feel that Welsh Springers are terrific dogs, but like any breed of dog, they are not the right choice for everyone. Each breed of dog has its own inherent breed characteristics which make it more suitable for some people than others. The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a rather active, outgoing dog, who thrives on the companionship of people. I do appreciate your sharing some information via email. I will look over the information, and after doing so would be happy to speak to you on the telephone. After speaking, I may request that you fill out our formal questionnaire if you are still interested in getting a Welsh from us.

Below is a list of some of the initial information that we feel is important for us to know. Please include brief answers in your email. Our questionnaire is more detailed, but this list covers some of the basics:

Your full name(s)

State and town/city in which you live

How you acquired my name

How you came to want to add a Welsh to your life

The number of adults and children (ages of children) in your household

Who the main caretaker of the dog will be

Housing and yard facilities

Your expectations for your Welsh

Time frame during which you are hoping to get a puppy

Preference for male or female puppy, or a male or female adult Welsh, and reasons

Feelings and expectations regarding neutering, spaying, or breeding the dog

Brief information about any previous and/or current dogs, or other pet experience

Other WSS breeders/owners you know, have spoken to, or are on their puppy lists

 

Here are some highlights regarding our dogs, and us.

Our Welsh Springer Spaniels are an important part of our life. Our dogs are all house-pets and companions first and foremost, as well as our show dogs. I have had Welsh for twenty-eight years, and have exhibited in conformation, obedience and field competition over that period of time. A number of our puppies have gone on to compete very successfully and be titled in each of these areas, as well as in agility. I have been a member of the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club of America throughout my years as a WSS owner, and have served on the board of directors and on the nominating committee. I have also maintained active membership and served as an officer in several other breed and all-breed dog clubs.

Our puppies are all raised in our home in the company of the members of our family, including our two high school age children. We love our dogs, and hope for only the best for each of the puppies that we bring into this world. We do not breed often, and when we do, we take into account the total dog before we decide to do a breeding. We evaluate temperament, type, structure, health, and pedigrees before choosing to breed one of our bitches and selecting a stud dog for her to be bred to. It is our policy that the dam and sire are both OFA hip certified. Parents will have been thyroid tested normal and eye tested. Our puppies usually go to their new homes when they are eight to ten weeks of age. We generally have pre-arranged homes for all of our puppies prior to the time they are ready to go home.

We, along with most reputable Welsh Springer Spaniel breeders, consider hip dysplasia and epilepsy to be two major health problems in our breed. My recommendation to anyone looking to add a Welsh Springer to their lives is to only consider purchasing a WSS puppy who's parents are both OFA certified for hips, and whose pedigree contains a vast majority of dogs who have hip clearances. I would also suggest that you question any breeders you contact regarding their awareness of the incidence of epilepsy within the dogs in the puppy's pedigree. Unfortunately, at this time there is no test that can predict the epilepsy carrier status on a dog. We can simply hope to minimize the possibility of producing a dog with epilepsy by eliminating the use of dogs with epilepsy, and those that have multiple dogs that have been known to have produced epilepsy within their pedigrees.

We want all of our puppies to have great, loving homes. We make every effort to get to know our prospective puppy people. All prospective owners must fill out our puppy questionnaire. We require that we meet in person, as well as have numerous phone conversations, including speaking to each of the adult members of the household, prior to agreeing to sell someone a puppy. We do not ship puppies; prospective owners must either drive or fly to pick up their puppy and accompany the puppy on the trip home. We try to provide support and information and hope our prospective puppy people will share with us all of their concerns and expectations so that we can select the right puppy for them. We welcome your questions. We evaluate all puppies throughout their time here with us and they are temperament tested prior to leaving to help us in our selection process. We match each puppy to his or her prospective owner. All puppies have been examined by our veterinarian, and have been given their first shots prior to going to their new homes.

We provide a contract with each puppy. Most of our puppies are sold to people who are looking for a pet and companion. All of our pet/companion/performance puppies are sold with an AKC Limited Registration. This means they are AKC registered, eligible for all performance events, but not conformation shows, and no offspring are acceptable for AKC registration. Occasionally we have a "show puppy" available. Our companion/conformation/performance/potential breeding puppies may be sold on an AKC full registration, but would then have a co-ownership and guidelines regarding future breeding including requirements for AKC titles and health screenings on both parents prior to being bred. We do encourage people who are looking to start out in our breed, and believe in mentoring those people throughout the process. Our contracts address the issues of health guarantees, care, training, health screenings, and support for the life of the dog.

I hope this information has been helpful to you. I try to cover all of this material in depth when we speak on the phone or meet in person, but feel it is helpful to have it in print, so that you can refer back to it in the event that you have any questions.