Dawn Charley
1. Hello, my name is Dawn Charley and I live in Uniontown, Ohio, with my husband and our dog pack of English Toy Spaniels. My first English Toy was purchased as a pet in 2003; in 2004, I purchased my first show prospect. I have been a breeder for about 15 years and our kennel name is Luvn Chr-Lys. This is a play on our last name and loving our “Charlies,” as they can be referred to by fanciers.
2. Our breed has a lot of emphasis on the head; this is the defining hallmark of an English Toy Spaniel. You should have a round head with dark, round eyes, a nice laid-back nose, and the ear set in line with the eyes and nose. Their expression should be soft and pleasing. They should have a nice healthy coat with feathering on their ears, body, and legs. Body should be square, cobby, with nice bone and spring of rib. A level topline with the tail right off of the back, with no drop at the croup. Without these characteristics, it wouldn’t be an English Toy Spaniel.
3. Because of our breed being a rare breed, finding homes for puppies can be more challenging for some. I don’t breed a lot, but I usually have a list of people waiting for a pet as well as a show prospect.
4. As a breeder there are things to help with successfully breeding a litter, such as progesterone testing and health testing. DNA research can be done to provide helpful information. I have shipped semen across the country. As far as communications, the Internet and social media can provide an abundance of information and communication.
5. In my community, I do see a lot of homes with mixed-breed dogs, the popular doodles, or a “rescue” dog. Some people will make a comment saying a mixed-breed dog is healthier than a purebred. My comment is “that’s not true.” I always tell anyone looking for a dog to look for a breeder who does health testing. Always research breeders.
6. My concerns for the sport are low entries and show numbers shrinking. It seems that even the popular breeds’ numbers are getting less and less at shows, making it even hard for those people to find majors. In our breed, we have lost longtime mentors/breeders and not enough new people are coming into the breed.
7. A positive change is the addition of being able to earn points from a Group placement, which helps when you have a low-entry breed. Also, being able to obtain a major with a Reserve Winner at a National or Specialty with enough points to provide that. Reserve Best in Show is also a nice addition to our sport.
