«CESSCGA Rescue

«CESSCGA

«LenLear ESS

Email LenLear

Notes»

Let me introduce myself.

I am an English Springer Spaniel lover, breeder, owner, exhibitor, rescuer, writer, litter grader, club member and sometimes match and sweepstakes judge. I acquired my first show springer in 1975 and have been hooked ever since. I have finished twenty three (23) champions. I am not zealot, crusader or a person that believes everything that breathes has a right to life - no matter what. Friends, we have a problem and as breeders we can decide to be part of the solution or turn our collective backs and become part of the problem.

More and more springers are ending up in county shelters as strays or as owner turn-ins. Part of the blame can be placed upon our "throw-away attitude" that society has inflicted upon us. Use it and if it becomes inconvenient just dispose of it. To counter this problem as breeders, we must stand ready to act responsibly and take back any of the dogs we sell at any time.

A larger problem is the stray springer. The dogs that jump the fence or breaks the chain are picked up, often far from their home, and are not claimed by their owners within the legally allotted time. Micro-chipping all of your dogs and encouraging or even requiring your puppy buyers to micro-chip their new pups will prevent YOUR dogs from becoming unclaimed strays. Many shelters are micro-chipping dogs themselves before the animals are released for adoption.

Where do all these springers come from anyway? It has been my experience that most dogs ending up in rescue are the result of backyard breeders. Sometimes the owner will turn over a springer for rescue with an AKC pedigree. Often, there is a famous Bench Champion or Field Trial Champion four or five generations back in the blood line. If we, as breeders require spay/neuter through contracts, limited AKC registration or offer rebates upon spaying or neutering, we could greatly reduce the number of springers involved in a backyard breeding.

Years ago, when I owned a champion male, I was of the attitude that if I didn't breed my wonderful AKC hip clear, eye clear, sweet champion to the pet bitch, she would be bred to a lesser quality dog and thus the overall quality of springers in the world would move down one notch. Following years of dealing with the product of some of these well intentioned but misguided breedings, I have changed my mind. I am now of the mindset that if she cannot finish a bench or field title, she shouldn't be bred. With all the inheritable problems in springers, breeding to a pet pedigree is really a Russian Roulette kind of breeding.

I am aware that there are breeders who feel rescue is cleaning up someone else's mess and to some degree this is true. Like abandoned children however, the dog is not to blame for the owners or the breeders irresponsibility.

There is no "one answer" or "quick fix" to the expensive and heart-wrenching problem of too many unwanted springers. If we as breeders will hold the love of the breed above our own personal interests, we can go a long way toward reducing the huge number of English Springer Spaniels in animal shelters and rescue programs across the country. We must carefully choose our puppy buyers. We must be willing to take our dogs back at any time, insist on spay/neuter, and encourage micro-chipping. We must breed our stud dogs to only top quality bitches.

Zippy Cooper
LenLear Springers