Updates

Time for a few updates: Sasha has found a new home and is doing very well with her new family. We are having a 4-year-old male returned within the next few weeks, however. Check back for more info about him, as he will be available to the right home as soon as we figure out exactly what type of home will be best for him. We also have made some changes to breeding plans, namely postponing our planned breedings for another heat cycle. So, the current plan is to breed Hazel to Carter (pending health clearances) on Hazel's next season, which will be around March 2013. For a variety of reasons, including Hazel's short heat cycles, we weren't able to get all her health clearances done in time to breed her on her current season. More info will be available as these plans become finalized. Plans to breed Georgia in 2013 are also in the works. We have had a break from shows for a couple months, and probably won't be out again until next spring, when we'll be back to trying to get that second major for Georgia and Tucker. Hopefully they will both finish soon! In the meantime, the dogs are enjoying hanging out at home and playing in the snow. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the holiday season, everyone!

Available Dog

We have a lovely, almost two-year-old liver and white bitch looking for a new home. Sasha (Kalwa\'s Elements of Style) is a littermate to Hazel and Sterling, from our Andy-Kali litter in August 2010. We kept both Hazel and Sasha to see how they would grow up. While Sasha is a pretty girl, she hasn\'t quite lived up to her potential in the show ring compared to her sister, and we feel now that she would be better off as a pampered pet. She has also had a few issues picking fights with other female dogs, which is a concern in a potential breeding prospect, so we have decided to spay her and place her as a pet. She will need to go to a home without other female dogs. She gets along fine with male dogs, and she is an absolute sweetheart with people of all ages. She is housebroken, up-to-date on vaccinations, healthy, and has basic obedience training. She would make a great performance dog for someone interested in obedience or agility, and she would probably also be a good therapy dog. She is very loving, relatively low energy for a Springer, and very mellow in the house. I have included a couple pictures of her below, and will try to post more soon. If you are interested in a sweet, smart, well-behaved companion who is still quite young but past the troublesome puppy stage, please contact me at kalwaspringers@gmail.com for more information.

Breeding Plans

Our breeding plans have been up in the air a bit and have changed somewhat over the last few months, as I waited to see if Georgia would finish her championship soon or not. Since she is still looking for that last major, we are going to hold off on breeding her for a bit and move on to our next planned litter. So, I am pleased to announce that Hazel (AKC and UKC Ch Kalwa's Elements in Harmony) will be bred to Carter (AKC GCh/UKC Ch Kalwa's Incense and Peppermints RN) on her next season. This breeding will take place fall 2012, with puppies expected around December or January. If you are interested in more information about this breeding, please contact me at kalwaspringers@gmail.com. This particularly breeding has been in the planning stages since I started breeding Springers 8 years ago, and I am very excited to see what we will get. It's been almost two years since we had puppies at Kalwa, so we are definitely in need of a puppy fix and are looking forward to this litter!

Updates, Including New Champions!

It's been a long time since I posted, but I figured it was past time to provide some updates on what the Kalwa Springers have been up to. We took several months off from showing after the New Mexico shows in November, and didn't really get back into the ring until March, when we hit the Scottsdale, AZ shows with Georgia, hoping for that last major. She didn't win, unfortunately. Our next shows were in South Jordan, Utah May 5-8. At these shows, Georgia was reserve one day and Tucker placed well in his classes, but neither of them got that final major. They are both still looking, as we haven't been able to get majors at any of the shows we've been to since then. The big winner of the weekend in South Jordan was Carter, who was select dog both Saturday and Sunday for two more grand champion majors, which left him needing just one point to finish his grand championship. We hit the show ring again in Logan, UT on May 19-20. Sterling was entered for those shows, after not being in it he ring since last September. He showed well, but didn't win anything. Hazel was WB/BOS both days for two more points, and Carter was select dog on Saturday for two points, finishing his grand champion title! He's the first Kalwa grand champion. He finished with six majors, and completely breeder-owner-handled. May and June are busy show months around here, so we were entered again for four days of shows in Blackfoot, ID June 14-17. Sterling and Hazel were the dogs entered,a nd Sterling was the big winner of the weekend, going WD all four days and BOW twice for a total of 4 points over the weekend. Hazel was WB/BOW/BOS on the final day for a point, leaving her needing just two points to finish. The following weekend we were on the road again headed for shows in Great Falls, MT. There, Hazel was WB/BOS on Saturday, as well as best bred-by exhibitor, going on to a second in the bred-by sporting group. Then on Sunday Hazel was WB/BOW/BOS for two more points to finish her AKC championship! She Wis the first from her litter to finish, and the first champion for her dam, Kali, although Kali has 4 more kids getting close to finishing. After Hazel's big finish, we headed to Missoula, MT for two more days of shows. We kept Hazel in the classes to hold a point, as there wouldn't have been any available in either sex without her. The first day, Sterling was WD and Hazel was WB/BOW/BOS for anoth point., and on the last day Sterling was WD/BOW for another point, and Hazel was again WB/BOS, bringing her point total up to 17. Sterling is up to seven points, now. We're still on the major hunt for Georgia and her brother Tucker, who both just need a major to finish, but it wil probably be September before we get to another show. In the meanwhile, Faith is back in the ring on the east coast, where she was WB/BOW in Ashtabula, OH on July 13 for her first major! She was also WB the next day for another point. She is now up to 11 points, one major. Congratulations to her owner, Nancy Stephens! Thst's all the show news for now. During our summer break the dogs are getting shaggy and having fun. We're looking forward to hitting the ring again this fall, and hopefully getting those champion titles for Georgia and Tucker soon!