Thornfield
CHOOSING A PREFIX
Every Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) breeder must apply for a kennel prefix, as well as sit a written exam and be a financial member of their state governing body for a minimum of 12 months. The prefix serves to identify all puppies bred by the member and forms the first part of each puppy's name. For example our foundation bitch Em's registered name is Wrangham Cathy Earnshaw. "Wrangham" is the prefix that identifies the breeder and "Cathy Earnshaw" is the name selected by the breeder and approved by the state governing body.
THORNFIELD
As we knew our prefix would be with us for many years to come it was important we came up with a name that was both meaningful for us and descriptive of our breed. Em's dam is Wrangham Cider Wi Rosie and her puppies were all named after literary characters. Em's litter were specifically named after characters from novels by the Brontë sisters with Em's registered name being "Cathy Earnshaw" from Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights", coincidentally one of Sally's favourite books. Our beloved Burmese cat was also named Brontë. And so we have Emily - or Em for short.
Thornfield Hall is the name of Mr Rochester's residence in Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre", another treasured novel in our library. "Thornfield" is thus a nod to one of our favourite authors, our foundation bitch, Em, her English heritage and her breeder, Rachel Greaves, with "Thorn" reminding us of all the rough, prickly cover a good Spaniel will push through (and get covered in!) to reach their goal and "field" reflecting our dogs' "working" or "field-bred" lines.
CHOOSING PUPPY NAMES
The registered names of puppies are ultimately chosen by the breeder and must be approved by their state governing body. Some breeders name their litters alphabetically - for example, our Dalmatian is from the "H" litter, Yarrowfell High Society and two of his littermates are called High Fashion and High Jinx - whilst others might name their litters following a theme...perhaps they were born at Christmas or in the midst of a thunderstorm. We like to include the dam's name in our puppy names as an acknowledgement of her effort and our love for her - Em's first litter was Thornfield Embargo, Thornfield Emblazon, Thornfield Embody and Thornfield Empower. We also hope that this system of naming will help us keep track of our litters in 30 years time!
© Thornfield English Springer Spaniels 2024