Northern Lore Windsprites

11/19/2024

Fable passed her final observation this morning and our paperwork is in the mail! Soon we'll be certified members of the ! 🎉 She really loved this visit with the folks who were enjoying Kind-hearted Care's adult social center today.

11/18/2024

Did you know Fable and Siren are first cousins? Nikki and I like to joke that we're their aunties. 😆 I feel like you can really see the resemblance between them here!

11/15/2024

By the end of this month, Siren and the stud we're planning to pair her with will both have completed their required health testing! He was whelped prior to the International Windsprite Club's partnership with , so we are also waiting on his Embark results to confirm his MDR1 and CEA carrier status. Additionally, once his results are received by his owner, we'll be able to conduct a testmating! The testmating will provide information about the estimated average COI of the puppies that result from this pairing.

Unfamiliar with some of these terms? That's okay! We're here to help. Here's a quick rundown:

* Embark - A dog DNA testing company that provides services for breeders, among other things. Windsprite puppies are required to be Embarked before they can be registered with the IWC and Embark information is used to make breeding decisions.

* MDR1 - The genetic marker for Multidrug Resistance, a condition that can cause severe adverse reactions to certain medications. It's most commonly seen in herding breeds such as Collies, Aussies, and Shelties. We test to avoid breeding carrier to carrier, which in the past could result in an affected dog being born.

* CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly is a genetic disorder of the eye. Like MDR1, it is most commonly seen in herding breeds. Similarly, CEA is no longer a danger to Windsprites, as we use the Embark results to entirely avoid the risk of carrier to carrier breedings.

* Testmating - A comparison of the genetics of two dogs, which gives us a clear picture of how closely related they are and how in**ed their theoretical offspring may be. We use this to ensure we're not breeding dogs that are too closely related to one another, as this can lead to an increase in health concerns.

* COI/eCOI - COI means Coefficient of Inbreeding and eCOI means estimated Coefficient of Inbreeding, both of which are expressed as percentages. COI often refers to "pedigree COI", a calculation of relatedness based on pedigrees and ancestry, rather than on genetic material used to calculate eCOI. Pedigree COI is known to be less accurate and typically gives a number significantly lower than the very accurate eCOI provided by Embark.

11/14/2024

Jessa: I'm a little nervous about Fable's therapy dog test...
Fable: I got this. 😘

Surprising no one, she impressed the pants off the ladies conducting her assessment. She passed with flying colors! She was her usual sweet, gentle self and really affirmed the effectiveness of all the groundwork I did with her as a little puppy. We haven't really practiced loose leash walking in quite some time, but she fell right back into it.

We're moving on to her observations, where she'll be assessed in an actual real life visit setting! So excited. Thank you to our T/Os, Rose and Katie, with .

11/12/2024

Tomorrow, our sweet Fable is testing for her therapy dog certification with the ! After testing and observation is complete, we'll be able to bring this cute leash wrap on visits with us. We can't wait. 🤞🏻 Wish us luck!

11/11/2024

We really enjoyed connecting with so many people at the Wisconsin Dog Fair today! It was a long, long, long day for us (up at 5am, 2 hrs to the event, 6 hrs at the event, 2 hrs home). The girls all handled it beautifully. I was floored by how many people came to the event specifically looking for to meet our breed! Whether you stopped by intentionally or just stumbled across our booth by accident... Thank you SO much!

It was a joy seeing people fall in love with these wonderful dogs. There was a particular mother and daughter pair who we watched just go head over heels together. There may or may not have been jumping up and down involved when they realized they agreed on their new favorite breed. Sooo sweet!

I also had a wonderful conversation with an AKC person who was very earnest in her support of our endeavors. As we parted ways, she said that she looked forward to seeing us in the conformation ring in the future. It was so genuine and kind, I teared up. ☺️ We'll get there one day!

11/09/2024

Back in September, we took a little camping trip to Iowa where we connected with other Windsprite owners at the Midwest Windsprites meetup. It was a blast! Here's Haven and Siren, enjoying the festivities. Please join our Midwest Windsprites group on Facebook if you're interested in future gatherings! If you don't yet have one of your own, but you would like to meet them in person, you'd be more than welcome to come along!

11/07/2024

These girls are sooo different, both in their bodies and in their minds.

Haven is a touch tentative compared to Fable, who boldly dives in headfirst. Haven is thoughtful and deliberate, but she lacks Fable's quick cleverness. Haven remains minimally food motivated, while Fable would do most anything for a treat. Haven is a silly little clown and Fable is a bit more serious.

Haven is very fluffy compared to Fable, even when Fable isn't still filling back in after blowing her coat. Haven is compact where Fable is looong. Haven free stacks like a dream, which is lovely, but she won't put her weight on her foot if I happen to be touching the leg that's attached to it to make a slight adjustment... 😂 Fable has always hand stacked pretty perfectly for me, which was such a gift when I was still learning how to do it.

I love them both to pieces. They're incredibly sweet, lovely, easy dogs.

Haven (Wisco Oak Grove CoJack of Aurai) - 5 months
Fable (Blue Mist Moral of the Story) - 1 year, 9 months

11/02/2024

Pretty little Siren, looking like a painting. 🎨 We're aiming for her to be bred in Spring 2025, in partnership with her co-owner at Blue Mist. Because Siren is the result of a Whippet backcross, her coat is smooth. The babies resulting from the planned breeding will each have a 50/50 chance of being either smooth or long-haired.

If you're interested in litter updates about this or future breedings, please check the Linktree to fill out our Future Friends Form!

https://linktr.ee/northernlorewindsprites

11/01/2024

These peepers are clear! Siren got her OFA eye exam recently to be cleared for her potential first pregnancy in the spring.

The vet tech assisting kept gushing over her “beautiful retinas” 😂

She has her heart exam at the end of November so we will be sure to keep everyone informed.

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Please fill out our Future Friends Form if you're interested in litter updates send straight to your email or if you'd like to chat with us one-on-one :)

https://forms.gle/PP47ivSd5GZBiuFs8

10/05/2024

Baby puppy is looking pretty grown up these days!

09/23/2024

We got photos back from the Midwest Coursing Club's American Sighthound Field Association trial back in August! Look at those girls go!

Fable won first place in the Lure Coursing Instinct stake in the Sighthound Mix category. Unfortunately, until Windsprites are recognized by the UKC or AKC, this is how we need to enter.

The dogs don't know the difference. 😉 We can't wait to go back!

09/11/2024

We're working on having Fable "station" while we train and play with Haven. It's such a huge help to be able to work with one at a time! We'll practice this with Haven too, when she's gotten the hang of a few other foundational skills, so that Fable can have her turn without interruption.

08/31/2024

Look at this pretty little thing ❤️

08/30/2024

Making new friends everywhere we go!

08/29/2024

The cuteness levels are off the charts. Who authorized this? 😤

08/25/2024

Fable zoomin' her way to a blue ribbon at the MWCC event last weekend. Photo credit to !

08/21/2024

There are so many things for responsible buyers to keep in mind when searching for an ethical breeder! These are just a few of them. We always welcome questions, but I'd also like to give y'all a little rundown on how Northern Lore shows up in these four categories!

1️⃣ INVOLVEMENT - Nikki and I travel halfway across the country with our dogs, twice a year, to attend breed specialty shows hosted by the International Windsprite Club. Eventually, we hope to hold specialties in the Midwest region as well! You can join Midwest Windsprites to stay tuned for regional events that we organize, which currently just consist of social gatherings, rather than shows. In addition to our involvement with the IWC, we are also active with other local canine clubs.

2️⃣ HEALTH TESTING - Our girls haven't had litters yet, but we're currently preparing for Siren's first, likely coming up in early 2025. Prior to being bred, we will complete the health testing recommended by our breed club (OFA hearts and eyes), as well as any additional testing seemed necessary by our veterinarians. Our pups will be registered with the IWC, which means they will receive genetic testing via Embark in order to confirm their CEA and MDR1 carrier status. Siren, Fable, and Haven have already been Embarked. In addition, we aim to be as transparent as possible about the health and temperaments of our dogs. We want our puppy buyers to be able to make informed decisions.

3️⃣ PROVEN DOGS - Each of our dogs compete in IWC conformation classes. At a year old, Fable had already achieved her Junior Championship and she passed the CGC test earlier this year, with the goal of working towards therapy dog certification. We also participate in a variety of dog sports! Siren came home with a whole pile of ribbons from our last specialty show, where we enter Agility, Rally, and Straight Racing each time. This past weekend, Fable took first place in her LCI category at an ASFA event hosted by the Midwest Coursing Club. She's also placed in both UKC and WCRL Rally. We've also dabbled in nosework, barn hunt, dockdiving, disc, and flyball. Our focus isn't on winning, but on having as much fun as possible with our dogs! Proving them to be as excellent as we think they are is icing on the cake.

4️⃣ LIFELONG RESOURCE - There's a reason our "mailing list" sign-up sheet is called the Future Friends Form! It's cheesy, but it gets the point across. We want to develop lasting relationships with the families that will love and care for our puppies throughout their lives. We will always be here for you. We will want updates about the puppies we place forever. And your Northern Lore pup will be welcomed back with open arms at any time, if circumstances change.

I hope that's helpful! Writing it out reminded me of several other posts I'd like to put together in the future, including information about CEA and MDR1. In the meantime, please let us know if you have any questions and we'll be thrilled to chat with you here in the comments or on Messenger!

Don’t forget to do your research before buying a puppy. Reach out to your local kennel club if you need help identifying or locating an ethical breeder.