Our cabin home has been blessed by our English Setters, Alley, Becka, Brenn,Windy and Mistywho with their unconditional love have helped make our world a better place.
My love affair with English Setters began with my first dog, Lark, a gift from my Uncle who raised field and show Setters...she was a hunter and companion and taught me the qualities of the Setters which I admire to this day...This breed is friendly, intelligent, willing to please, very loving and non-agressive. They are excellent companions, family dogs, show dogs, hunting dogs, who are good at Agility, Rally and Obedience. My next dog was a show quality male, Becket, from a one time breeding producing a litter of 8, 6 of which finished their championships....
In August of 2008, Bernie suggested we look for an adult female who may need a new home, with all of the changes going on in people's lives, we felt there must be one out there needing a place to go.
Jill Warren and Setter Rescue put us in touch with Ann Laurier who had a female who had just had a beautiful litter of 7 puppies, and was looking for a good home for the mom. We had Alley with us a week later and she came off the plane into our arms and hearts.
Alley had so much potential, already winning ribbons the first time in the ring of her first English Setter Specialty. She loves to point birds, is smart and learns fast and may even be eager for agility. She is a beautiful soul and even our Russian Blue cat KIKU tolerates her intense interest.Alley finished her American and Canadian Championships and earned her Canine Good Citizen Award all in one year, She has a beautiful pedigree and is genetically and medically sound. We bred her in 2011 to Settrridges Amazing Grace, Cody, and she had 6 beautiful puppies. We kept one orange girl, Misty, who is now part of our family.
Becka came to us in May of 09 and we had all of the joys and comedy of a new puppy in the house....everyone gets along and she is smart, funny, learns quickly and is absolutely gorgeous...she is sound, good bone, topline, movement and her color is striking...beautiful headpiece...what a doll.....she has finished both of her Majors and needs only 5 points to finish her Am Championship. She also has her Canadian Major and 4 points there, needing only 6 more to finish there.
And so we come to Brenn, a blue belton , whom we got in June of 2010 as a one year old from Melissa, it turns out she is Alley's granddaughter ! !...so we added her to our family, she is out of one of Alley's champion sons...CH Colthouse Iron Man...Almost all of Alley's kids have finished their championships already, most before the age of two. Brenn is just starting to show, and has much promise at Lure Coursing.
In 2011, we added Windy to our family. She is a half sister to Becka, a tri, and the epitome of an English Setter puppy.
We love our family!
July, 2010...CANADA.....we left for our summer journey to Canada and the shows up there...the first was the Evelyn Kenney shows in Calgary and at the end of July the AKC shows....then quickly on to Winnipeg for the third round that summer....we then went on to Minnesota too see family and our 40 acre woods we are turning in to a home for us and our canine kids....we will keep you posted if possible on our journeys and hopefully winnings with pictures.....be seeing ya in September.... : )
The first show was in Springbank near Calgary and Alley did great, the Brace with Brenn looked beautiful, and it was lots of fun to watch...the next show was at Spring Meadows and the girls did well again....Alley finished the last day...the fiinal show being at Winnipeg at the other end of the Plains area in Manitoba....the two girls did well, because Alley had move on to Specials at that show...Becka went best of Winners there at the Manitoba Sporting Dog Specialty and got her Major with points....even Brenn got a point on Friday at the all-breed....I am not keeping up very well , but will catch up with Pictures when I can....having a great time with our "kids", they are loving this travel stuff and the woods and lakes.....
Minnesota....The kids had a great time jumping in the pond and getting absolutely filthy and wet...it rained alot, but they enjoyed harrassing the chimpmunks and squirrels who ran through their yard each day...the deer were a challenge, and we even saw a quail....yes, quail....evidently an escapee or immigrant from somewhere else...but everyone was happy to be home to their own yard, chickens and cats and it was a bawdy reunion...no one slept the first night home....
Sadly, in the fall of 2011, we lost our beloved Becket to old age and crippling arthritis. He leaves a big hole, but many happy memories.
