From time to time I'm asked about where I got my Setters and why I chose that particular breeder. I've touched on this in previous posts but I'll summarize in case anyone is interested.
I had grown up with a beautiful Irish Setter named Shadow down the street in the little town I lived in. He was a big rangy dog with a large blocky head. A classic field bred Setter. We all loved him and still tell stories of his antics around the neighborhood. Later on I was to have my own Irish Setter we named Shan. Unfortunately we had to give that dog up due to epileptic seizures. Then many year's later living in southwestern Wisconsin I came into contact with some Ryman type Setters that friends had. I admired these dog's as they had the same classic Setter looks of that dog down the street I had known as a kid.
In the years that followed I had Brittany Spaniels then went through many great years with German Shorthairs. When it came time to decide on my next hunting partner my mind was led back to those images of the Setters I had known. So the research began. I always need lots of input to make a decision so I started reading about the history of Setters. I was led to the classic lines of the Ryman Hemlock dogs as they fit the image, conformation and temperament of what I had in mind. Via the internet I was able to view breeders pedigrees across the country. There was one breeder that kept showing up in lines used by breeders of this type of Setter. I then decided to contact that breeder and discuss my objectives. After checking references and talking some more I had a gut feeling this was going to be my choice of who to deal with.
I always have to get to a point of trust on any decision and this is how I describe why I made my choice of who to deal with. A breeder who is a dedicated Setter man and avid bird hunter. Someone who had over 40 year's of experience with the type of dog's I was interested in. He talked with a quiet confidence never selling just stating facts. I talked with a lot of people some who ran down others lines and were critical of other aspects of a breeders operations. You have to sort through all of that understanding everyone is going to think they have the best operations naturally. Then you make a decision which I did. It involved a 2000 mile round trip to view and select the dog's but these were to be my hunting partners and companions for year's to come. One of my life's most important decisions is exactly how I treated the choices before me.
Three dog's later from the same lines I had a team of beautiful Setters that have taught me more than I ever thought I knew in a life time of owning bird dogs. I only wish I would have met these dogs at an earlier point in life but actually I probably wasn't ready yet. It takes a wealth of patience, humility and time to properly care for these beautiful and gentle creatures that have so much to share with you.
This fall will mark eleven seasons together. We're a little slower now but spend every day together. A priceless experience in itself. I've even adapted to sleeping away afternoons with them! I'll shoot some video and take more pictures this year knowing our time together is getting shorter. That decision I made originally was right on the mark. What a decade it's been!
