What is a Spinone Italiano?
Hi! We're The Jersey Boys...Niko, Justin, Neve and Stitch. We used to all live
in New Jersey but now we live in the Panhandle of Florida in a house with a huge yard to run and play in. But we'll
always be The Jersey Boys in our hearts no matter where we live.
We're Spinone Italiano, an ancient breed of hunting dog that originated in Northern Italy.
We're a functional field dog that belongs to the Sporting Group of dogs and we were recognized by the American Kennel
Club in 2000. We're versatile hunting dogs that can naturally swim, track, point and retreive. In the U.S. we usually
hunt upland game bird.
We're large, rugged looking and robust dogs with strong bone, strength and stamina
but we also also have a sweet and docile temperment. Our human-like eyes in our gruff looking faces with bushy, scraggly
eyebrows and beards that are usually drippy and wet after we drink, belie our delightful nature. We often use this beard
to "clean" the sofa, the floor and mom and dads' clothes. We're smart and soft hearted, often gregarious as well as
being a first rate clown. Although we're easily trainable, we can be stubborn when we want to. We love to
meet new people, especially children, love to see new things and love to let our humans know how we feel by "talking" in "Spinonespeak"
which includes; groans, yodels and whines.
We are equally happy to be at our human's side working out in the fields or working at being
a couch potato and sitting beside them, in their lap or at their feet. We need to be around our humans and love being
their center of attention. We often hear our mom and dad say that "Spinone are like potato chips...you just can't
have one!" As our popularity continues to grow, many of us excel in various arenas like comformation and the show ring,
hunting tests, agility, obedience as well as being excellent therapy dogs.
"You can't make a Spinoine do anything....
but you can ask!"
(Courtesy of the Spinone Club of America)
