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Wednesday, February 18

UFTA National 2009

by Dogs Unlimited on Wed 18 Feb 2009 05:21 PM MST

Comments (3) | Permanent Link | Cosmos

Friday, January 16

Restoring Red Pride

by Dogs Unlimited on Fri 16 Jan 2009 04:56 PM MST

Champion Irish Setter Gets Breed Back In Hunt
By Charlie Meyers
The Denver Post
Reprinted with permission

KIOWA — With a recent snowfall stirring beneath a chill prairie wind, the dog caught the scent from yards away, then assumed the statue pose that marks an animal of high breeding and even greater training.

But something else, more profound, grabs the eye in what might otherwise be an ordinary training exercise. The dog is rusty red, with the wavy, flowing hair of a breed rarely associated with field trial excellence.

Ishkote Animosh, Fire Dog in the Chippewa language and just plain Fred for the crisp and frequent commands of dog training, is a, gasp, Irish setter. He's also a dual champion from the American Kennel Club national breed championship last fall at Boone-ville, Ark.

To Spero Manson, a Native American who owns him, and Steve Bailey, his trainer, Fred is all that and considerably more. As is the case with these oft-maligned red dogs and certain other breeds strayed from their working roots, he represents a return to those elemental instincts that still trickle through the bloodline.

Through dilligent effort, they hope to restore red dogs to proud hunting status, one generation at a time. There is much work to be done. Many decades of show breeding turned Irish setters into something of a canine joke, infamous bubbleheads of great beauty and precious little sense.

"The show population is much larger than for field," Manson said. "We hold no grudge against show people. They have their purposes, we have ours."

A professor of psychology at the University of Colorado Medical Center, Manson might be exercising a bit of his professional craft in what has been an age-old dispute. But at the bottom of it all, his focus is too keen to indulge in needless debate.

"I got into this strictly to improve the breed, plus the personal satisfaction of working with dogs," Manson said of a movement that began in the 1950s when a small group of enthusiasts set out to reverse the trend.

Manson's interest began when he laid eyes on an Irish female named Java a dozen years ago. A love affair at first sight was consummated when the owner expressed a willingness to sell. Java, who died last year at age 14, became the matron of the nation's most prominent Irish trial line.

Fred, now 7, became an even more prominent entry in the American Field Dog Stud Book when he won the dual championship at Booneville. Manson handled the dog in winning the amateur division; Bailey, who has been training dogs since 1965, guided Fred through the open division exclusively for Irish setters.

This marked only the second time one dog has won both. Another Manson dog performed the feat in 2003, further ratifying the Java bloodline.

"Fred is very desirable as a stud," Bailey said.

Thus far, he's been bred a dozen times, a selective process aimed strictly at improving the line.

"We're constantly asking whether the breeding makes sense," Manson said.

"We're not a puppy mill," Bailey chimed in.

This sudden center of attention looks very different from the tall, lanky, long-maned Irish dogs with which we are most familiar. At about 45 pounds, Fred is much shorter, more muscular, and not at all likely to be called daft.

Nor does he carry all the hopes of the Manson kennel. Ishkote Waagos, Fire Fox, was named puppy and derby dog of the year by the Irish Setter Club of America and shows similar promise at age 2 1/2. An 8-month-old female is waiting in the wings.

Activity at the Manson kennel doesn't stop with Irish dogs. Mary DeVos, 17, of Centennial won the American Pointer Club amateur championship. Bailey won the open division with a pointer owned and trained by his daughter Bridget, 18.

Charlie Meyers: 303-954-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com

Pictures are property of the Denver Post.

Comments (1) | Permanent Link | Cosmos

Thursday, July 24

Free Online Magazine for Field Trialers

by Dogs Unlimited on Thu 24 Jul 2008 12:31 PM MDT

Strideaway is an online publication dedicated to and promoting the great sport of American Field Trials and the dogs that compete in them. The objective is to present the voices and ideas of experienced trainers, handlers, breeders and other knowledgeable participants whether they are involved with All Age or Shooting Dogs, horseback or walking trials with particular emphasis on wild bird trials and the dogs that compete in them. Check them out!
www.strideaway.com