Ardenstorm

We decided to have some fun in the garden today, as we are totally cut off & going nowhere!! it is so deep even the dogs were having trouble trying not to fall over, but a good time was had by all. The Cheviots look beautiful & every day we are grateful for living in such a wonderful part of Northumberland.
Welcome to 'Ardenstorm' the home of top winning UK Bracchi Italiani. We aim to continue breeding from quality stock for the future of this wonderful breed.
Our first breed is the wonderful Weimaraner,which we have now owned for twenty years. Anna is eleven & a half now & her daughter Jenny is seven, both are regularly worked along with the Bracchi. We gained numerous wins with all of our Weimies.
After owning Weimies for only six years, we decided to look for another HPR breed.
Our interest in Bracchi began in 1995 after reading an article written by Jonathan Shaw, breeder of our first Bracco, acquired in 1997. Pia, (whose sire Boris Dei Ronchi was imported by the Shaws,) was Top Import Gundog in 1999. The Bracco Italiano has been a very important part of our lives for over 12 years and only one litter to date, taking our time to find in our opinion the best stud dog, Yogi (Olympos Castagnaccio, owned by our friend Doctor Ros Roden) was imported from Denmark & is the son of Diesel, whose semen we imported into the UK .Our aim is to breed quality from health checked stock, and so far we have achieved this .
After travelling to Denmark,we were the First kennel to import semen into the UK therefore introducing NEW bloodlines of World Champion Olympos Felice Anno Nouvo (Diesel) Grand sire of Brac. This semen is still available . Unfortunately Pia suffered a Pyometra & was spayed. We have since travelled to Italy & Finland researching the breed. 4 years after Pia was spayed ,we heard that the beautiful bitch Heinaaron Tuo Tulipano (Lyyli) whom we had admired over the years, was coming over from Finland to the U.K. to be mated, we immediately booked a puppy. The result is:
Our wonderful girl Rosa

Rosa's hip score 4 : 7. Eye tested clear. ROSA like BRAC will be worked on the local shoot every November.Rosa will be lightly campaigned in the show ring from now as we want to concentrate on her working ability.
. We are very fortunate to live on a Sporting Estate where Rosa & now Brac will be worked every season. Our homebred boy Brac (Ardenstorm Luciano Bosis SH.CM)) named after an Italian Shotgun Maker, is Rosa's very handsome son.
The working abilities of the Bracco are PARAMOUNT, we feel that this area needs more focus from U.K. BREEDERS. This will become a 'LAZY' breed if more care is not taken.
We do enjoy our hobby of showing but the working ability of the breed comes first.

Pia ( Sentling Maddalena at Ardenstorm) a top winning Bracco, is our oldest, (now into her Thirteenth year) she is adorable, & like all of our dogs she is loved, now retired from all showing & working she still enjoys her long walks with the rest of our dogs.

Rosa , is a delight to own. Wins too numerous to mention but gained RESERVE BEST BITCH at CRUFTS 2009 !! & BEST IN SHOW at the BIS Open show Sept '09. John had her on a pointing test that he organised, in March '09 & was over the moon when she was graded GOOD !! John starts working with all of our dogs at an early age ,taking his time to encourage them to enjoy what they are doing, as you can see from the picture of Rosa at 11 weeks old John encouraged her to point on a worm which she found fun to do wanting to retrieve & eat it !!!

Brac is a little Star with a fabulous temperament, never a cross word with other dogs! A Top winning Bracco. RESERVE BEST DOG at CRUFTS '09 & RESERVE BEST IN SHOW at the BIS open show '09.

Anna, our oldest Weimaraner is a wonderful working dog,with a superb temperament, she gained her Stud Book number in June 2000 (qualifying her for Crufts for life)

Jenny is just Jenny! Loving & adorable. Loves to please everyone, she is just a little sweetie!

We have both experienced watching the Bracco working in Italy and it is absolutely breathtaking.
If you feel this is the breed for you , please feel free to contact us.

John has The Judging Diploma & Breeding Certificate from the Animal Care College & judges gundogs. He is on the B list of the Weimaraner Club of Scotland, also the B specialist list of the Bracco Italiano Society, STOP PRESS: (He has recently passed the BIS A3 Judges assessment with 97% & The Clumber Spaniel Judges assessment with 83%) Well done John!
We have been members of The Weimaraner Club of Great Britain since 1990, we are also members of the North of England H.P.R. Club, founder members of both Cheviot Canine Society & The Bracco Italiano Society.
All of our dogs make us proud with their achievements in the showring , but there is nothing like the feeling of excitement watching them work in the field, something they were bred to do. The Bracco must not be allowed to lose this.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE BREEDERS, therefore to make sure we are doing the best we can to eliminate the problems that have arisen in some Bracchi , pedigrees will be studied and all of our stock will be hip scored, (We do take into consideration however, that one must look at the whole picture when breeding. In other words it is no good breeding from a dog with good hips if it is a mediocre example of the breed) elbow scored (cases of UAP have been diagnosed & some breeders are not elbow testing, knowing the problem is in their lines, this is totally unacceptable) & eye tested (we now have information regarding Glaucoma & Cataracts in the breed). Testing is the way that ethical breeders assess the suitability of breeding stock. We also require both stud dog & bitch to be strep tested.
Before announcing we will be breeding from our Bracchi they will have been health checked! Brac has a satisfactory hip score of 5:10, (below average) his elbows are 0:0, & he has a current clear eye certificate .
BRAC IS AVAILABLE AT STUD to health & pedigree checked bitches only!
All of our Bracchi have achieved top honours in the show ring especially our home bred boy Brac, listed below are his wins to date:
BRAC is RESERVE BEST DOG at the BIS OPEN SHOW February 2010
BRAC takes BEST IN SHOW at the NORTH OF ENGLAND HPR CLUB October 2009 !!! ( his 2nd Best In Show & the First male Bracco to achieve this) & ROSA takes B.I.S at the BIS September 2009 !!!!
BREED HISTORY MADE ONCE AGAIN AT THE BIS 2ND OPEN SHOW, AS ROSA & BRAC (mother & son) take BEST IN SHOW & RESERVE BEST IN SHOW under breed specialist DR MICHELE IVALDI (ITALY) whose father bred the Bracco for working,we are absolutely delighted!!
BRAC is the FIRST Bracco in the UK to achieve the Show Certificate of Merit!
BREED HISTORY made today for both Mum &Son by taking RESERVE BEST BITCH & RESERVE BEST DOG at CRUFTS 2009 (first time we are allowed to compete here)
2 x BEST IN SHOW (open)
1 BEST IN SHOW (companion)
2 x RESERVE BEST IN SHOW (open)
4 x GROUP 1 (open)
3 x GROUP 3 (open)
1 x GROUP 4 (open)
Numerous BEST of BREEDS at OPEN SHOWS
& CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWS
We are very proud that we bred this Top Winning Bracco.
We all like to brag about our dogs wins, but what we must NOT forget is that the Health & Well Being of our dogs must come first ,so please remember when choosing a puppy to ask the relevant questions about health, do not accept any excuses as to why the parents have not had ALL health checks. There is NO excuse!
STOP PRESS: We are absolutely delighted that Frank Kane has included a photo of Rosa & Brac as representatives of the Bracco Italiano in his new book on HPR's. What an honour !!