Irwellspring

I have lived with retrievers for over 30 years, both Golden and Labradors . Almost eleven years ago, we acquired Luna as an 8 week old pup and our lives have been rewarded and changed for the better. We joined a six week puppy training group with the Shropshire Gundog club and as they say “the rest is history”. We continued to train, entered competitions and have been rewarded with a little success, including the KC Working Gundog test certificate and Gold KC good citizen award as well as KC Working Test Awards. More importantly we have found a wonderful hobby and passion, involving the dogs, new friends and the great outdoors, in some beautiful parts of the UK.
Luna has been a fantastic addition to our family. She is kind natured, calm and trainable as well as a loyal companion and has been a successful Pet Blood Donor!
In 2017 and 2018, Luna proved to be a fantastic mother, producing two beautiful healthy litters of pups sired by FTCh Beiley's Aguzannis of Fendawood (Beiley). Beiley, owned and handled by David Latham, the current England Retriever Team Captain, gained a multitude of awards, including IGL winner. Their full accolade of awards can be seen on the Fendawood Gundog website.
The pups from both of these litters have all developed into great dogs with wonderful temperaments. We have received lovely testimonials and photos from their new owners.
I kept Lily, a black girl, from the 2017 litter and Heidi in 2018. Lily is a beautiful dog with an excellent temperament who showed great trainability, gaining several awards in Working tests as well as becoming an attentive, fabulous mother. In March 2021,she produced a beautiful litter of black puppies by Tony O’Hare’s talented and handsome Murphy ( FTW Burrendale Ace). Murphy went on to qualify and compete in the IGL Retriever 2021 championships where he received a prestigious Diploma of Merit and made up to FT CH status (further information on Murphy can be seen on Burrendale Gundog website)
Last year Lily had a second litter by Fenway Tallin, another talented and handsome working dog. He is owned and handled by well respected trainer and author, Jeremy Hunt.
Lily’s final litter by FTCH Mistigri Finn of Featherfly produced a wonderful litter from which we have kept a pup, Betty, and two others have stayed within our close family. Betty, at just 11 months, is showing great aptitude and we hope that she will follow in the success of her father and mother!

Heidi is also a most wonderful dog and following a mating with the talented FTCH Rustler Master she produced a lovely litter of 6 adorable yellow puppies on 27th October 2024.

Both Lily and Heidi are loyal companions and enthusiastic trainees. They both show great attributes of their parents in heath, temperament and good looks. Despite their handicap of me, we have been able to gain success in puppy, Novice and Open Working Tests and have more recently ventured into Field Trials.

Lily:
July 2018 North Devon Working Gundog Society AV retriever Puppy Working Test COM award.
July 2019 United Retriever Club Northern Area Novice Working Test 1st Award
KC Working Gundog Test Certificate awarded at Crufts March 2020

Heidi:
August 2019 Caledonian Retriever Club Summer Puppy Working Test 2nd Award
August 2021 Caledonian Retriever Club Summer Open Working Test 3rd Award gaining qualification and successfully competed in the Scottish Game Fair 2021 Open Working Test at Scone Palace.
July 2022 PTA Summer Open Working Test 2nd Award.
October 2022 Three Ridings Labrador Club Open Walked Up Test 4th Award.
June 2023 PTA Open Walked Up Test COM Award

Lily’s litter sister, Mabel ( Irwellspring soft mist through Overmarsh ) with her owner Wendy, regularly pick up during the season. This gained them qualification to compete in the Gamekeepers ring at Crufts. On four consecutive years Mabel has been in the Awards. In 2020 and 2023 she gained a fourth prize in the ‘Best Bitch ‘ category, a third prize in 2022 and 2nd in 2024.
Heidi, also competed in the same class in 2024. She gave a very good performance for her first attempt in the show ring and was picked out in the top half from over 40 entrants.
I am very proud of these achievements of our homebred pups which are again a great testament to their trainability, temperament, conformation and good looks.


Luna, Lily, Heidi and Betty contribute greatly to our lives, both as companions and in having fun competing. As a small hobby breeder, our aim is to produce an occasional litter of well handled and socialised KC Registered Labrador puppies, from great temperament, trainable, fully health tested and good looking parents. With this aim in mind, we always select the best dogs to sire our litters who are outstanding within the breed.
We are very proud to have been approved as a Kennel Club Assured breeder, vet checked and hold a council license, giving prospective puppy owners reassurance that we are setting high standards.
Our dogs and puppies all live and are raised in our home. Puppies have all the loving care and attention that they deserve to give them the very best start. We have had amazing testimonials from our previous litters where pups have gone to the very best working and active family homes.

We hope that new owners wanting a competition, working dog, or loyal companion will have as much joy as we have experienced.


Please contact me if you would like more information .




Kennel Club Assured and Licensed Breeder (RBC AWL036)