Before you
fall for the beautiful human like expression of
the Spinone its best to be made aware of a few
things first.
It was necessary
to establish a rescue society only 4 years after
the first litters were born in the UK and in the
first 4 months of 2008 there were 12 re-homed
through the ISCGB Rescue and Re-Home alone and
probably quite a few more rehomed through their
own breeders.
If you don’t
think you could cope with any of the things you
are going to read about now then it would probably
be wise to look at another breed for your family
dog.
1. Do you
have a sense of humour? You will need one to cope
with the antics of a Spinone.
2. Can you
offer constant companionship? They need attention
and affection every day and cannot be left on
their own all day when owners are at work. If
left too frequently they will become withdrawn
and/or destructive.
3. Are you
house-proud? Spinone have big feet excellent for
bringing in mud and such like into the house –
Spinone have beards! Can you cope with flying
spit mixed with their last meal and mud flying
through the air just as you’ve got guests
arriving? Can you cope when your Spinone steals
the guests dinner when you are hurriedly trying
to wipe the said spit off the wall?
4. Are you
squeamish? Remember they are hunting dogs as well
as pointers and there maybe the chance that on
their walk they could bring you back a nice dead
rabbit.
5. Have
you got a secure garden? Your Spinone will need
a well-fenced garden to run and play in also an
area in which you can safely leave your pup while
you attend to the necessities of life. They are
expert diggers and pruners so be prepared for
your Spinone to make mincemeat of your prized
garden shrubs etc in seconds.
6. Will
your finances stretch to the possibility of large
vet bills, boarding fees when you go on holiday
and to replace the remote control, mobile phone
etc after they have been chewed up.
If after
reading this you are still interested in taking
a Spinone into your home then the next step is
to go and meet as many Spinone as you can i.e.
in breeders homes, dog shows etc. The above thoughts
are just a brief outline of the Spinone and of
course you need to know more to make your decision.
Most Spinone breeders will welcome you and your
family round to meet their dogs and answer any
questions you may have so please phone them and
ask. If any breeder wont do this then please think
seriously if you should buy a puppy from them.
Obviously most of us ‘doggy’ people
are very busy and you may have to wait a while
for the visit so please be patient.
