My name is Barbara Gruzzi, and my first english setter was a real “LATIN LOVER”.
He made me madly fall in love with this breed and from him comes the kennel name, duly registered at ENCI and FCI.
I decided to start breeding with an american line of gene pool, to make sure to have a solid foundation for what is concerned for health.
In fact since the 90s all subjects ancestors of the dogs imported by us were officially controlled for the main pathologies of the breed (hip and elbow dysplasia, deafness, hypothyroidism ….. as well as with deposited DNA). Thanks to this choice, to date, our dogs are the result of over 5 generations of tested subjects.
Over the years the desire to leave a "mark" in the breed, became more and more insistent.
Knowing exactly what my “type” of English setter is, I wanted to make it recognizable among all other dogs. The head and expression are fundamental, because the real expression of the English Setter is a jewel of nature. It has to have a correct physical construction to be able to express a strong and elegant movement, thanks to a nice shoulder, a solid back and broad croup, as well as a cheerful tail movement, just like described by the breed standard.
In twenty years of breeding we are really proud, not just for the successes obtained by the subjects we own or bred by us, but also for the fruits of our selection project, which today is known all over the world.
Just have to read the pedigrees of the winners of the most important dog shows of beauty European, world cup and over the ocean, to find in these champions the presence of ”LATIN LOVER”.
In the last few years, I have limited my presence at the expo a lot, focusing only on the most important appointments like European, world cup or international exhibitions with specialist judges.
This is because the surrounding atmosphere had started to no longer reflect my expectations, arousing a big sadness for the old dog world!
This does not mean that I have abandoned the world of exhibitions, far from it!!!
I have broadened my horizons to improve the well-being of my dogs and my cultural background.
After having obtained the certificate of suitability for trade in 2005, breeding, training and the keeping for pets, I decided to take a next step, obtaining the ENCI Master Dog Breeder in 2016, participating, in excellent company, at three training modules, at the SCIVAC headquarters in Cremona:
- REPRODUCTION AND HERD BOOK
- PEDIATRICS AND GROWTH DISEASES, HEREDITARY DISEASES, SPORTING ACTIVITY AND HEALTH
- PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT OF CANINE BREEDING, BEHAVIOR, EDUCATION AND GROWTH
To my great satisfaction after the Master, I have obtained other professional titles:
- DOG TRAINER CSEN
- MASTER CSEN OF “PLAY AND MOTIVATION” FOR DOGS
- TECHNICAL OF DOG BALANCE CSEN 1 AND 2 LEVEL (PROPRIOCEPTIVE GYMNASTICS FOR DOGS)
- WATER SPORTS OPERATOR (OSA CSEN)
- TECHNICAL OF WATER SPORTS CSEN TSA 1 AND TSA 2 LEVEL
…and we will not stop there…..
Breeding with passion and seriousness it implies a constant work of updating and comparison.
Before the Covid pandemic, I have always participated in presence in numerous seminars, congresses or other advanced training courses for dog breeders on various thematic that ranging from reproduction, orthopedics, dermatology, nutrition, etc… Last one was, in chronological order on 6 October 2020, on neurology applied to breeding, I hope to come back soon in “presence” because the webinar online very popular in this period of lock down, are not quite as charming, but still definitely useful.
In this long canine journey I have met people who helped me reach my goals and to which I will always be grateful:
• my mentor on the canine breed M.A. Samuelson (Heathrow Kennel) a real pillar in the history of English Setter in the U.S.A.
• all veterinary professionals and Integrated Medicine to which I turn for the health of my dogs, each of them valuable for its specialization!
• all the breeder friends with whom I have collaborated and I will collaborate again in the future
• all the teachers and friends I met in the various courses I attended
• all the breeders of other breeds with whom I have shared travels and adventures, as well as disappointments and misfortunes, because unfortunately breeding also implies that
• all the handlers who presented my dogs at the expo
• my dear friend and photographer Jelena Carik, to whom I owe so many beautiful photos, tiring and fun days, that we hope to be able to come back soon to pass together
• all owners of my dogs
• Maurizio, my husband who has endured and supported this passion, from the very beginning
• and last but not least, obviously all my dogs, who were there, who's there and who will be there tomorrow.