Can anyone point me in the direction of any breeders or associations, etc that would be able to assist us?
Now that we've settled into a bigger place & are near lots more outside space, we've decided that we'd like to start to plan to get the dog we've always wanted, An English Springer Spaniel.
Nice looking site, but a little too far away and possibly a bit too 'pedigree' looking for our needs - thanks anyway
If you want a Springer Spaniel (or any other breed) it will be a pure breed, and therefore have a pedigree with a traceable lineage, and you will pay for the privilege.
For breeders, this is what they do and it costs them time and money, and they expect appropriate remuneration.
The alternative is a cross-breed or mongrel .... or a rescue home.
Have a look at www.animal-sans-foyer.ch which is the Swiss site for all the official cantons refuge centres. You might find what you’re looking for there.
Re: ESS in rescue:
A quick Google shows that the two Spaniel clubs within the VDH (the German kennel club) keep listings of spaniels in need of new homes. The Jagdspaniel Klub currently has two ESS listed, one a 2 year old male, the other an 11 year old male:
http://www.jagdspaniel-klub.de/html/...e_gesucht.html
The Spaniel Club Deutschland has a list of dog 6 months or older needing homes - there is a 6 year old ESS listed. (And some very cute cockers...) Not all of these are rescues in the usual sense, some are being sold by their breeders - but all need homes.
http://www.spaniel-club-deutschland....hunde-6-monate
The Spaniel Club of Switzerland also keeps a list of "Spaniel In Not', dogs of the various spaniel breeds needing new homes. Currently there are none listed, but it would be worth checking from time to time:
It might be a good idea to contact all the breed clubs even if they don't currently have 'the' dog you are looking for - in case another ESS in need comes to their attention.
And obviously, keep an eye on the Tierdatenbank, (Animals sans Foyer is the French name, url given above by Medea) the Switzerland-wide data base of animals needing new homes. Again, no ESS currently listed (but a few cockers...) but browsing from time to time is worthwhile.
A bit of a long shot, but a fantastic resource for lovers of springer spaniels - all flavors - is the It's A Spring Thing forum. This is UK based, but posters from other countries regularly post - someone there might be able to point you in the direction of an ESS on the continent in need of a home. (FYI, there are several UK rescues dedicated to the springer spaniels: ESSR, CAESSR, NESSR and SYESSR, ESSW. These usually only home within the UK and Ireland - but contacting them might still be a good idea as they might have contacts on the continent., or know of a UK based dog where the rescue would consider a continental adoption.)
http://springthing.3.forumer.com/
Just a heads-up: One problem you might have adopting /buying from abroad - some ESS are still docked, and importing a docked dog into Switzerland is forbidden. (There are exceptions to a long time family pet brought over with the family on relocation, but this would not apply to you.)
And Re: breeders - the Spaniel Clubs mentioned above are the breed clubs within the FCI (VDH in Germany, SKG in Switzerland); these keep lists of breeders, puppies and planned litters. The Austrian club is http://www.jagdspaniel.at/ , btw. If you go the breeder route, these are where you should begin your search.
And another FYI - if you'd consider a cocker , these come into rescue more often than ESSs. For instance, right now there is a 1 year old purebred male and a 4 month old male cocker mix pup at the Tierschutzbund Basel:
http://www.tierschutzbund.ch/tierver...seite=2&vkat=1
All the best with your search - hope you find your new friend soon.
Good luck with your search - nice dog the ESS.
Our mutt was born without a tail , just a short stump.We have it recorded in his passport so when we travel with him we have no issues bringing him back. Everyone thinks he ́s docked.
What did you have in mind when you said "breeder?" When I looked for breeders in Switzerland I didn't turn up much of anything. It doesn't appear to be a very popular breed here, so finding breeders with litters or even planning to have litters near you is going to be few and far between. If you're set on a pure-bred then you may have to drive to get it.
I didn't look for rescues, but Meloncollie did a nice job of researching that for you.
Good luck!
Thanks for all the info folks, especially melloncollie (we had 3 collies when I was growing up ) for such detail.
We're going to try the rescue route first as it seems the right thing to do if possible.
We saw a beautiful little B&W 4 month old Cocker mix on Tierdatenbank today, but she'd already been reserved just an hour before. for us, but for her (She'd been put under an bloody xmas tree & the kids didn't like her & she was dumped at a centre two days later. FFS )
They're sending us some more details of other similar dogs, so lets see.
The other option is an ESS from the UK - a friend has 2 & some good connections.
I'll let you know what happens.
I just remembered - if you still require more info after meloncollie's comprehensive reply.
We have a cocker which we bought direct from a dealer, who's details we found in a Tier magazine bought for a few chufs from the counter paydesk at our local Landi.
There's a whole section of small ads. concerning private individuals and commercial breeders offering dogs and puppies for re-settlement.
Right. A reputable breeder is a member of the SKG (in Switzerland). This ensures that he is controlled and that his animals are having the necessary vet. examinations for their breed and in consequence is only breeding with healthy animals that conform to the breed standard.
I strongly recommend not to go with a breeder who can't give you a pedigree but offers the dog, pure bred or not, for a lower price than a reputable breeder would. These people are not monitored in anyway, they just breed for pure profit or stupidity or a combination of the two.
If you'd prefer not to shell out two to three thousand Swiss francs for a pup from a reputable breeder (which stops sounding so incredibly expensive if you consider the costs the breeder has before and during pregnancy and when the pups are born and -mainly- how much work it is to raise a litter well) I suggest you go with a rescue.
It might be a bit far for you to come, but there’s an international dog exposition on at the Forum in Fribourg on the 26th and 27th of February. See their website: www.forum-fribourg.ch for more details and link. Might be some breeders there you could talk to to find out more.
There is a cocker spaniel looking for a home in the SPA in Ardon, VS. He is called Toby and he was born in July 2010. You can see a photo of him on the www.lvpa.ch site. Perhaps not what you are looking for, and a long way from ZH, but who knows? Good luck with your search.