Member Spotlight: Karen Moodie
Karen and her husband Terry have been involved with Spinone for decades, and Karen was recently recognized by the Club with the Sportsmanship Award. Read on to get to know Karen better through her Spinone and club involvement, including with the very active Northeast Spinone Club.
When did you get your first Spinone and what was his/her name?
My first Spinone was Amos, he was a big brown roan, very friendly boy. He was bred by Susan Scribner and came into my life in 1993.
My husband Terry and I were married in 1996. Amos was our distinguished ring bearer. Since that time both Terry and I have enjoyed the company of 8 Spinoni, 4 of which make up our current family. The previous 4 live on in many memories and stories. They have all left an impact on us.
Do you spend time with your Spinoni mainly in the show ring or hunting? What got you started in each realm?
I did show Orie (From Busy B’s) in 2014 at the SCOA National. That was our first show event. In 2019 we met Holly Forbes of Stella del Nord with whom we co-own Bella. Through the encouragement of Holly, Trish, Taylor and Bob and Birdie of Busy B’s we’ve entered the show ring again. Our first success was in 2000 with Willow at Morris and Essex when Willow won her first major!
We also hunt with our Spinoni, this started with the encouragement and help from Jeff and Sue Rhodes of Osage Kennels who entrusted us with Idgie (Journey) in 2002. Idgie was an amazing hunter. We did work with our local NAVHDA chapter, but did not enter any formal NAVHDA or AKC test events at that time. Orie was then the first Spinone that took us into NAVHDA and AKC hunting events.
When did you first start breeding?
We started breeding in the Spring of 2021 with Bella.
What are some lessons you have learned as a breeder concerning the health and/or type of the Spinone?
I think of several lessons learned as a breeder:
Listen and talk with others. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge out there, and also many opinions.
Work with your dog and try your best to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Be critical in your evaluation, but understand that no dog is “perfect” in all regards.
Work with others to better evaluate genetics, conformation and hunting attributes.
You will learn lots from your “puppy people”. It is important to try and stay in touch to be there for them and also learn from their experiences.
Take advantage of your resources. Members of SCOA and NE Spinone, and the Spinone Health Foundation are great resources for information on Spinone. The AKC and NAVHDA are also good resources to utilize.
Tell us about your involvement with the NE Spinone Club. How can regional members become more involved in the breed?
The NE Spinone Club has provided knowledge, encouragement and fun events centered around Spinoni! I try to attend as many events as I can. I have helped out at events with presenting topics on first aid and health and have learned lots from others on training, grooming, diet, health and fun things to do with your Spinone! I do wish I would keep up with information on the Facebook page. There is quite a bit of good information, success stories and communication on this page.
Regional members can benefit both from the events and FB page information and friendships with other members. Having someone local to meet with, work with and talk to has helped me to better understand our Spinoni!