Destiny Welsh Springer Spaniels

Elena at 9 years old.  We think she has reached her mature years with dignity and grace.

Elena seems to be expressing what she thought of her photo shoot

June 2006

Elena was our first Welsh Springer, and boy did she keep us busy!  She was a very mischievous puppy, always keeping us guessing as to what trouble she would get into next.  Rachel and I started her in puppy kindergarten as quickly as possible and then, much to our surprise, she earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate at only 4-1/2 months.  An AKC spokesperson thought that Elena might have been the youngest puppy ever to pass the test.

Elena won Best Puppy in Breed at the Maryland Sporting Dog show at 8 months, under the late judge Anne Rogers Clark, with her first championship point coming a few weeks later.  Rachel showed her in Junior Showmanship and moved up from the Novice to Open division in tough competition.  Caroline also showed Elena in Juniors until she completed her Novice wins.

At the age of 4 Elena had a total of 10 points, with a number of major reserve wins, but she still needed the two majors required for her championship.  We suspected that she was bored with showing, so we decided to give her a break.  A year later Rachel entered her in three shows, and Elena quickly won a major, a major reserve, and another major to finish.

We like Elena's correct proportions, rectangular outline, rib spring, and "round and spanielly" body.  She's one of the smartest dogs we've ever owned.

After a litter sired by Ch. Rysan's Just For Me in 2007, Elena was retired from breeding and conformation.  At the age of 10 she still has her spunk and her love for retrieving balls.  She earned her Rally Novice title at our National Specialty weekend in April 2011.  She's going to take a break from classes during the summer while Charlie has a turn; in the fall we'll start training at the Advanced level.  

July 2006

February 2006

Photo by Isabelle Francais
July 2001