As a family we discovered the Spinone Italiano in 2006 after watching Animal Planet’s show “Breed all About It.” After a visit to their annual meeting to meet some dogs we joined the Spinone Club of America (SCOA) and have never looked back. We were looking for a pet and a hunting partner and the versatile spinone excels at both.
As a former theater person I decided to name our first Spinone Fortinbras–the Prince of Denmark in “Hamlet”--and our link to Shakespeare has continued throughout our ownership of this wonderful breed.
Our second spinone Gonzalo (from “The Tempest”) was a certified Therapy dog. Our current pair Cleo (from Antony and Cleopatra) and Gaius (from Julius Caesar) are working through the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) system; Cleo–our foundation Bitch–is both an AKC Master Hunter and NAVHDA Prize 1 Utility Dog.
Meet the Breeders
Our Dogs:
Past and Present
Fort, our first spinone, was a dog of my heart. He was a natural hunter; finding and pointing birds came naturally. He was not a fan of planted birds, preferring to hunt in the wild. He travelled to 26 states with us on adventures large and small, cementing our love of the breed and connecting us to life long friends. He was a hunter with drive and I was in awe of his ability to hunt all day, slow and steady, then get up to do it again the next day. After a day in the field he was never ready to load up and go home
Gonzo was a hunter, therapy dog, barn dog, and captured the hearts of everyone he met. The Italians say Spinone should have the eyes of an old man and he did. Once our daughter could drive he was never home, often travelling to horse shows when he wasn’t listening to kids read or pointing birds in the west. He was a half brother to Fort, and though they shared a mother his personality was pure laid back Spinone. Happy to go or stay as long as he was with his people. And he was always willing to add people to his fan club.
We currently have Cleopatra Queen of the Nile, she is a great-niece of our first two Spinoni. She is my first female. I was told by a long time breeder that Spinone girls love their mothers and the boys are “in love” with their mothers. I think those words are true. Cleo has the drive of her Uncle Fort and has learned to work in partnership with me; we’ve traveled many miles as she achieved her AKC Master Hunter, and NAVHDA Utility prize 1 honors. Although she is independent, Cleo is willing to work with me as a partner, and I couldn’t ask for a better one. In typical Spinone style she covers ground at a slow and steady pace, checking in and moving on. Working with her in the field or on the water is always a treat.
Gaius is our youngest and a work in progress. As he is still a “teenager” training for the Utility Test we are working on consistent performance and harnessing the energy and exuberance he brings to life. He does everything with a full heart and his loving nature. I am excited to see his progress in the next couple of years. All of our dogs have fit our philosophy of slow and steady. We live and work with them in the field, our home and travels.