Windsprites are a rare breed, but that also means a small gene pool. Working with a smaller gene pool presents it’s own challenges, the largest being health concerns due to inbreeding. At the same time, there is a severe shortage of companion dogs available in the US. While several programs focus on performance and/or show, Apsara has chosen to focus on companionship and versatility. Our program strives to produce dogs who are perfect companions for aspiring agility competitors, small children, apartment dwellers, families of all sizes, and everyone in between … or all at once.
The ideal Apsara temperament is a dog who’s ready for whatever you are: handler focused, social with dogs and people without being over excited, loves training or napping, resilient, confident, and an all-around good dog who is an absolute joy to live with. Because temperament will always come over type, Apsara’s breeding program will bring in dogs from other breed groups to widen the gene pool, bring down prey drive (to make neighborhood walks easier!), increase dog sociability/tolerance, and eliminate immune disorders. The Windsprite’s foundation breeds are Whippet and Shetland Sheepdog. Because of this, Whippets, Sheepdogs, and mixes of those two will be the primary focus. However, temperament and health will always come over type.
Lurchers produced for this project are unfortunately not registerable with the International Windsprite Club at this time. The International Windsprite Club will only recognize back-crosses to Whippets, and will not recognize back-crosses to Shelties or register any outcrosses. Apsara both maintains it’s own complete records and lurchers are registered with the Companion Dog Project.
Apsara is a member of the Functional Dog Breeding Copilot Co-Op and the Companion Dog Project.