A beautifully made show English Springer gaiting effortlessly around a show ring gladdens the eye. The sight of a Springer trailing a pheasant with every fiber of its being strained to the utmost in the pursuit of an imperative of instinct, leaping into the air after the bird on the flush, gladdens my heart. Why shouldn’t both of these pleasures come from the same dog?

I was drawn to “Merc,” Quicksilver Mercury of Larford, from the moment I saw him. When I examined him, I was impressed by his conformation. Given an opportunity to spend some time with him, I was even more impressed by his temperament.

Ditto has been the dog of my heart practically since she was born. She finished her championship with relative ease. She demonstrates some hunting ability. Her field career was ended with a too-hasty introduction to the gun that produced gun shyness, but this problem notwithstanding, she does not demonstrate the same level of drive and intensity that my acquaintance with field-bred Springers now leads me to expect.

My goals for the “D” litter were:

To produce mentally and physically sound dogs with temperaments representative of the breed at its best,

For these dogs to possess the biddability, drive, and bird instinct to compete at a Senior Hunter level with distinction, and at a Master Hunter level if their owners desire to spend the time necessary to train the required skills, and

For these same dogs to personify the breed standard as closely as possible, with the best of the litter able to compete on a level with their peers in the conformation ring.

Only time will tell now how close these puppies may come to meeting these goals. At a minimum, I feel that this breeding did no harm to the breed. I had confidence when I decided to make this mating that these puppies would be wonderful, sound Spaniels that would be the great companions that all of their owners were seeking as their first criterion for ownership. If they fall short on one or both of the second two goals, then I will know where to focus my succeeding efforts.

Thank you, Fred and Sue Neville, for your open-mindedness about this litter, and especially for allowing me to borrow Merc just before trial season for the breeding.

Update, 2003:

Mixed reviews.  Several of the D litter puppies

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