Northern Lore Windsprites

Northern Lore Windsprites Northern Lore Windsprites is a collaborative breeding program in development in the Midwestern USA.

Haven says Happy Heart Day from all of us at Northern Lore Windsprites 💝
02/14/2025

Haven says Happy Heart Day from all of us at Northern Lore Windsprites 💝

Now that we’re getting closer to Siren’s ultrasound I (Nikki Darga) think it might be fun reshare this and do a bit of a...
02/13/2025

Now that we’re getting closer to Siren’s ultrasound I (Nikki Darga) think it might be fun reshare this and do a bit of an update on Siren’s traits now that we’re hoping to pass them along. It’s been almost a year since I last did this and while most things remain the same, some nice changes have come with maturity.

The biggest difference is in exercise needs. In the last six months, Siren has needed far less hiking on a weekly basis to be happy. Adolescents have the highest energy needs that they will have in their whole lives so that makes a lot of sense. She can go days and days doing just about nothing which is quite helpful when it’s super snowy and cold.

She also seems to take less time to warm up to new dogs, provided they don’t come on super strong. She’s also calmer about being left somewhere that isn’t home, and generally less susceptible to that sudden environmental contrast.

Most of the “challenging” traits have gotten easier and easier as she’s gets older. No dog is perfect, but I feel like she’s pretty close for me. The sires we picked balance her traits super well so if potatoes are cooking in there, it is going to be so exciting!

Please feel free to reach out if you have more questions about this pairing. We are encouraging folks to fill out the application if you want to be considered, but obviously pregnancy will not be guaranteed prior to the ultrasound. Fingers crossed!

https://forms.gle/a9Ts3kawXLQnEy6T6

Happy snowy second birthday to my best buddy and all of her littermates! 🎂
02/09/2025

Happy snowy second birthday to my best buddy and all of her littermates! 🎂

What a thrill to see our own Blue Mist Moral of the Story "Fable" listed in the ASFA LCI - Sighthound Mix* Top 20 for 20...
02/07/2025

What a thrill to see our own Blue Mist Moral of the Story "Fable" listed in the ASFA LCI - Sighthound Mix* Top 20 for 2024! Congratulations as well to Chaos and Appa, doing an amazing job of representing Windsprites.

(*Note: Windsprites are not a Sighthound Mix, but we will remain in this category until we achieve recognition.)

Hi, everyone! Jessa here, with a little update for y'all about Miss Fable.As Fable’s second birthday approaches, I’ve be...
02/05/2025

Hi, everyone! Jessa here, with a little update for y'all about Miss Fable.

As Fable’s second birthday approaches, I’ve begun seriously assessing whether or not we will plan to breed her in the future. I wanted to share where we’re at in our decision making process at the moment, as it’ll still be some time before we know for certain. After much consultation with trusted veterinary professionals and established breeders, the consensus seems to be that the Windsprite gene pool is too small for us to wash an otherwise exemplary dog because of such an incredibly mild, easily managed issue. With that in mind, we are leaning heavily in the direction of breeding her. However, we are determined to meet certain requirements before we’ll be willing to move ahead with a breeding plan.

1️⃣ - *We will continue to be completely transparent with the public and all other parties about Fable’s health, including any changes in the way her food allergy presents or any additional diagnoses as she ages.* As of now, the bilious vomiting that was her primary symptom has completely resolved. She has still never vomited any food content and she has a voracious appetite. Her only symptom at this time is minor itching around her mouth and eyes, which only presents when she’s exposed to an allergen in her food for multiple weeks. Because her reactions are so mild and take so long to present, we are still working on pinpointing exactly what her triggers are.

2️⃣ - *We will aim to have Fable on an over-the-counter kibble, rather than a pricey prescription diet, prior to breeding her.* Fable does perfectly on the hydrolyzed diet, with no itchiness at all. However, the difference in cost for hydrolyzed diets at this time is significant and we are not trying to produce puppies that will pose a financial burden to their future families. Fable will remain on the prescription hydrolyzed kibble until we can find a food that works well for her, without causing any of the mild facial itchiness we’ve been coming across in our experiments. I feel confident that this is doable, but it is slow going, as mentioned above.

3️⃣ - *We will only accept a pairing that results in an eCOI of 15% or lower, in accordance with research that indicates a low COI may help reduce the risk of autoimmune issues like allergies.* Thus far, the lowest eCOI we’ve found for Fable in long-haired Windsprites has been between 16-19%. Most likely, we’ll be choosing a Smooth Windsprite for Fable, though we’re also considering backcross options. In addition, we’ll be doing careful pedigree research to try to ensure that the male and his relations are without allergies.

4️⃣ - *We will still be waiting until Fable is a bit older before we make a final decision about whether or not she will be bred.* The earliest we will consider this is at 3 ½ years of age (Summer 2026), but most likely we will be waiting until she is at least 4 years old, bearing in mind the possible increase in risk of complications for a first pregnancy in a dog much older than 5 years. The timing of Haven being ready for breeding is also a factor, particularly as she hasn’t had her first heat yet. We hope to breed Haven first, when she’s old enough, and then Fable.

I hope this helps the folks who are wondering what our plans are for Fable and what our thought process is like on this topic! I think I can speak for both Nikki and myself when I say that it's our goal to do what is best for the breed as a whole, not just for our breeding program, and certainly not just for ourselves. In my heart, I very much hope that Fable is able to be a breeding candidate in the future. But I am fully prepared to make the difficult decision to wash her, if necessary. In the meantime, we're keeping our fingers crossed that our sweet, mellow, clever, confident, resilient, optimistic, outgoing girl will whelp some equally incredible puppies someday.

💕

Counting down the days to Siren's ultrasound like...🕛🕐🕑🕒🕓🕔🕕🕖🕗🕘🕙🕚🕛
02/05/2025

Counting down the days to Siren's ultrasound like...

🕛🕐🕑🕒🕓🕔🕕🕖🕗🕘🕙🕚🕛

Who could resist? 🥺 Give this girl whatever she wants!
01/30/2025

Who could resist? 🥺 Give this girl whatever she wants!

Siren, Fable, and Haven had a great time at Linguine's house last week! We went to visit Peach later that day and I'm ST...
01/30/2025

Siren, Fable, and Haven had a great time at Linguine's house last week! We went to visit Peach later that day and I'm STILL sorting through all the pictures I took. 😆 More to come soon.

We're headed home!🤞🏻Here's hoping...
01/25/2025

We're headed home!🤞🏻Here's hoping...

We're thrilled to announce that Siren (Blue Mist Sing Til Sundown) has been successfully bred via side by side artificia...
01/25/2025

We're thrilled to announce that Siren (Blue Mist Sing Til Sundown) has been successfully bred via side by side artificial insemination with two different males, Noori (Stone House Northern Lights Over Tova) and Mackie (Tova's The Doctor of the Tardis)! Side-by-side is a process wherein a fresh sample is collected and used immediately, rather than frozen or chilled beforehand. This process was completed twice, once for each of the boys, and Siren was a very good girl during the procedure.

With this breeding, we hope Mackie and/or Noori will complement Siren's traits in a variety of ways! Both pairings have a nice, low eCOI (12% and 16% respectively). We hope for some physically healthy and behaviorally balanced puppies, ideally reflecting Siren's focus and drive with a dose of Noori's mellow energy or Mackie's gregarious nature.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves... Pregnancy is not guaranteed just yet! We'll be scheduling an ultrasound in the coming days and will hopefully have a definitive answer in a few weeks. Of course, we'll keep you posted every step of the way!

In the meantime, we are opening up our application process for this litter, which is bred with cooperation from Blue Mist Dogs and will be whelped and raised in Wisconsin! If you are specifically interested in a puppy from this breeding, now is your chance to throw your hat in the ring.

We can't wait to hear from you!

Binge-watching Puppy Culture at the AirBnB. 🤓
01/22/2025

Binge-watching Puppy Culture at the AirBnB. 🤓

We have an update about Siren’s Spring 2025 Litter… SURPRISE! Siren came into season earlier than expected. Much earlier...
01/18/2025

We have an update about Siren’s Spring 2025 Litter…

SURPRISE!

Siren came into season earlier than expected. Much earlier! This has led to some changes in our breeding plans for this litter. While we very much hope to have a future litter sired by the wonderful stud we had selected, his location in the country compared with the timing of Siren’s heat just made it impossible to stick with our original plan. We will be heading East next week so that Siren can have a couple of dates with a suitor or two!

We will be announcing more details in the coming days, as well as sharing our Puppy Application for folks who are interested in bringing home a baby specifically from this litter, which is co-owned and bred in partnership with Blue Mist Dogs.

We can't believe that Siren is all grown up and this is really happening! And we truly cannot wait to get to know you better through your applications! You’ll be hearing from us soon.

Here are some pictures of Siren as a little baby. Imagine a bunch of these tiny yahoos running around. 🥹

Three cats and a Siren on the bed. Not sure I should bother making it when they look so cozy.
01/15/2025

Three cats and a Siren on the bed. Not sure I should bother making it when they look so cozy.

Fable got her therapy dog certification from . ♥️ We're officially official!
01/08/2025

Fable got her therapy dog certification from . ♥️ We're officially official!

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Madison, WI

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+17155751509

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Videos

Fable's first attempt at "find it" vs. Haven's first attempt at "find it", both following brief introductions to the birch scent and loading it up with lots of treats when they give it a good sniff. This is very typical of them and of the different ways that they learn and process things. I find it so amusing. 😆 When cued, Fable jumps into action almost immediately and tries lots of different things to figure out exactly what I want. Haven just lays there and has a good long think before she gets up and gives it a shot. We'll see if they both enjoy scent work enough to take a stab at a trial in the future!

One year ago today, Fable arrived home to Central Wisconsin! 💖

Siren at Flyball!
Siren at Flyball!

Siren is halfway through her first session of flyball classes! I’d say it’s going well. 😍

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