Click here to check out our family tails for our ESS.
I acquired my first full bred Springer in 1996. His name is Jaime De Paris a Liver and white show bred. In 1998 I purchased Jewel of My Eye Liver and White. She is field bred. I began mating in 1999 mixing field with show.
The show line split off of field line in 1940's. They began to breed out freckles and try to breed a more beautiful dog rather than a sporting or gun dog. Bred for longer hair and ears; shorter legs, straighter hair and docked tail. This tail style differs from field bred hunting dog who have 3/4 tail for easy identification in the field by hunters. Springer Spaniel Show lines have long hair, and need more grooming; at least every 8 weeks.
Field bred has shorter coat so would not get stuck on brush during hunts for quail or duck. The longer legs are for springing in field over tall grasses. Typically only a Field dog's tail and feet need trimming. They have a longer nose; a more square shape muzzle and face of show bred. While show (bench bred) can still be used in field, many of the characteristics that distinguish the two types in one breed, may make a dog more or less desirable. For instance: people may want a more gentle, beautiful and more, solid color puppy, while others, prefer the field bred personality and temperament of catching and receiving and more of a sporting attitude. This is why I at first mixed the two together to get the beauty of bench and show with the personality and temperament of field.
Today we still offer a mix of the two, and are now focusing on breeding the lines a little more separate to enhance qualities of each type Show or Field. I own a diverse group with Field curly coat, shorter ears, from the number one top line and sire Pond Views Windy Acre Yankee. Such as Windy Hills Sunrise Hope, Jewel Of My Eye and show lines Jaime De Paris, King Arthur of Wonderview. Besides the two different types, all different colors are represented in my lines- Liver and White, Black and White, White and Black, Liver and White, White and Liver, White and Liver Tricolor (L/W and Tan), Black and White Tricolor (B/W and Tan).
I mainly breed for pets but my dogs and puppies have been hunted as well as shown. Either way, they make wonderful family companions, gun dogs, or to be shown. When we sell a puppy I dictate the price on color, sex, and confirmation.
Our emphasis is on personality, temperament, and wonderful lifetime companions.
We do Ship using Continental's PetSafe Program
Starlightstars is an AKC registered kennel name.
Shore'S Kate Hepburn wins 3 pt major in Framingham.
She needs one more # prt major to finish her AKC Championship!!
Back on stage again Starlightstars Frank Sinatra will be back in the show ring in July!!
Look for Essence to go to CANADA TO BE SHOWN!!
The ESSFTA and the Researchers at the University of Missouri announced on April 20th 2007 a new DNA test for PRA or rogressive Retina Atrophy in ESS that can cause blindness. This genetic test is a break through I have been waiting for since my favorite Springer has the disease.
Starlight Kennel is proud to announce that we were among the very first to do the test on 13 dogs with results back on May 1th 2007.
Dogs will fall into three categories
1. Normal - Two alleles with normal genes or considered normal.
2. Carrier-One normal gene and one affected gene or considered carrier
3.Affected - Two genes both having the mutated gene
A carrier can be bred to normal no blindness will ever occur
A carrier bred to a carrier some will be normal and some will be carriers and some will be affected
A normal bred to an affected all will be carriers but still no blindness
We will continue to PRA/DNA test our dogs and continue to CERF them too
This will insure that all of our puppies never will be blind