Welcome to Dalsland English Spri

About Dalsland

Welcome to Dalsland English Springer Spaniels, located in North Texas. I was born and raised in Sweden where my hobby while growing up was showing horses in show jumping and dressage. Horses were my original love but dogs were not far behind.

My childhood dog was a Labrador Retriever named Tjabo, who was always ready to have fun, whether it was long walks, swimming in the pond or retrieving toys or just hanging out.

I moved to the United States in 1991. After having lived in the US for a few years I realized how much I missed the companionship of an animal. So in 1994 I adopted a dog, Dora, from the animal shelter.
Dora was a Springer/Border Collie mix and it was the "Springer" side of her lineage that stole my heart. I researched and studied the English Springer Spaniel, however what I failed to do was become informed about the "do's and don'ts" of buying a dog, and my second mistake was to be impatient and wanting my new puppy now. These two mistakes turned out to be an important lesson for me.
I purchased my first purebred English Springer Spaniel, Jack, from a pet store. Please see "Jack's Story" on his web page. Although Jack has serious health problems due to his very questionable pedigree, I'm dedicated to keeping him as healthy as possible.
We enjoyed the activities of obedience and joined a local obedience club. At the All Breed shows I began watching the Conformation events and admired the beautiful Springers. I decided I wanted to change my focus from only performance events to conformation as well and started looking for a dog I could do both with.
By this time I knew the profound importance of buying a dog from a reputable breeder. I bought Julie, a beautiful black and white puppy bitch and soon I was involved in the sport of conformation competition. As a beginner, we did quite well. I finishing Julie's championship completely owner handled including a prestigious specialty major. I was now completely hooked.
Unfortunately, epilepsy reared its ugly head and Julie as well as two litter brothers began having seizures by age 2 ½ . I made the only decision I could make as a responsible pet owner. I had Julie spayed and she is now living the life of leisure as an only dog. Julie's breeder was supportive throughout, while this tragedy struck a blow to her own breeding program. And I had to begin again as I had no foundation bitch and nothing to show.
Through my participation in the breed ring and my membership in DFWESSA I became friends with Nancy Johnson, Wedgwood Springers. Nancy generously allowed me to have a lovely 12 month old bitch, Ana, who finished her championship in 2004. Ana, CH Wedgwood’s Flight of Fancy MX, MXJ, NF has also turned out to be a phenomenal agility girl who earned her AKC MACH agility title on Nov. 15th, 2009 and she continues to provide joy in my everyday life. Please see "Ana's Page".
In 2004 my friend Dana Lodge, Kytra Springers, placed a black and white male puppy with me, who much to Dana's dismay I named Ollie (CH Kytra's Keep to the Kode). He has proven to be everything I dreamed of for so many years when I first decided to show in conformation. He is beautiful, healthy and incredibly sweet. Please see "Ollie's Page". In 2007, Kassie, Ollie’s daughter, out of his first litter joined our family.

Please see “Kassie’s Page”.
My dogs are first and foremost my companions who also compete in AKC events. Since my beginning in English Springer Spaniels over 14 years ago, I have strived to educate myself on pedigrees, health issues and temperament. When I do get the opportunity to produce a litter it will be one that I can present with pride.
My kennel name, Dalsland, comes from landskapet, the equivalent of a state in Sweden and landskaps blomman (State Flower) is the Forget-Me-Not which also happens to be my favorite flower. I chose the name because the beauty of the flower matches the beauty of the English Springer Spaniel.
Experience and good friends who are reputable breeders are my invaluable mentors. Learn from the experience of others. Please see my "Links" page for more information.