Why do you own an Irish Setter?

[Susan Stone]

OK, maybe this is a silly question - but I put it to you all the same:-)) At least all members, old and new, can join in on this one...

[Carmel Murphy]

Hard to know where to start! All during my childhood we had all sorts of dogs, pure and crossbreeds! At 15 I got my first Irish and that was it, love at first sight and even though I had all sorts of dogs since(incl. irish) I keep coming back to the red setter!!! Their quirky personalities, love of people, clowning around,energy,tenderness, ability to read your mind at times,wanting to please you, the list is endless!!!!!!!!! I come across lots of breeds in my boarding kennel(and love them all!) but would never swop them for my Red Heads!
Carmel

[Loma I. Clark]

I've been in love with the breed since my first one when I was about 7 or 8 years old over 50 years ago and can not imagine life without one in my bed, on my lap, under my feet. I get sad thinking of the day that I would not own one because I'd be too old and frail to handle such a big dog, but I'm enjoying them as much as I can now.

Unconditional love, unwavering loyalty and beauty beyond measure would be my reasons for owning a Irish Setter.

Loma and Red Friends, Arizona, USA

[Sharyn Latchford]

.....I have loved Irish ever since I saw Walt Disney's Big Red....that was it for me...Instant love...

They are such fun, loyal and loving.....and on top of all that Beautiful......

so my answer would....Why oh why would you not be owned by one of these beautiful Red dogs...

Sharyn
NZ

[Gene]

Although it amazes me that red heads are not more popular, one of the things I like is that you don't see a lot of them...and everyone...I mean everyone will make a comment on how beautiful, striking, regal, elegant, pretty, handsome, etc. they are.

When we are walking along a street, you can see/sense cars slowing down to look at them. I even have people stop their cars in the middle of the street to ask me about them. It is funny because a lot of people in my neighborhood don't know me, but they know my dogs, kind of like being a celebrity's spouse. :)

[Vera Clay]

Interesting how everyone knows the dog before they know the people.....I recently met a lady who asked me if I still had my beautiful Red Setter. I had absolutely no idea who she was, and I asked her about her setter. Then we established that her dog and Conaign used to play on the Dog Beach when they were puppies and went to Obedience School together. When she said her dog's name, I remembered her!Her dog was a dear little mixed breed called Sheba.
My little black Labrador is a very beautiful dog, but when we walked them both it was Conaign whom everybody saw, with his magnificent deep red coat and his presence. She kind of sank into the background. One day we met an older lady who totally fussed Tara and totally ignored Conaign. The expression on his face was priceless.
I think most people who have Irish setters recognize that they are dog perfection; poetry in motion when they run!
Cheers,
Vera

[Katariina Roiha]

My love for this breed is inherited :) My grandparents had both irish and english setters, the first photos are from the 1940s.
I love its wisdom in the field, usage of the wind, how they from full, racy speed can stop to point, their elegant and beautiful way of movement when galloping. It makes me shiver to see these breeds passionately hunting with burning eyes and all the muscles of the body tense. You can feel the urge of the dog to get to the scent of the bird.
I also love its playfulness,happy way of living, easygoing but passionate attitude towards life...Setters are easy dogs at home, they´re quick learners and easy to train, really lazywomens or-mens dogs :)

that´s what makes them lovable, among other things ;)

[Susan Stone]

What a lovely response! Thank you and keep it coming!
As for myself, I love to see them in full galop over the fields, their instincts taking over but still conscious of your presence... that display of sheer joy for life combined with the racyness and elegance of the breed... and on the hunt, the nose high taking in all scents and coming in on a definite point... Oops, I mustn't get carried away:-))

[harriet]

I first met a irish setter in our appartmentbuilding where I lived with my parents, I fellt in love with the beauthy and character of the dog.
So my exhusband and I decided to go for one, and we got our first in 1979, unfortunaly we had to ut him assleep in 1985 because of epileticy.
Than no dogs for a long time and than in 1999 Loskeran Dark Oak came on our way and we diceded to take him since his owner died and he was nearly 4years old. Very nice and handsome boy. Than the virus came back and so came in 2000 a puppy named Just make me smile vh. Adelaarsvaren in the house.
So and now I have in the house Justin and reddins Elliot a puppy born 22-11 2006.
We had to put Darko asleep in 2006.
My love for the Irish Setter will never die.

[Henk ten Klooster]

Where-ever and when-ever there was adventure, there was Rex, my first Irish setter.

He just did everything from tragedy to triumph forbidden or not. My brother (eight years) and I (four) bought him emptying our saving-boxes completely for him.

His adventures stimulated me to write it down as soon as I could, I've still got the notes. Plus photographing. On it you can see the landscape of my youth except for the river the IJssel nearly totally disappeared for industry.

Rex had no pedigree and lots of white in his front. So I wondered whether he was a true Irish setter, reading dogbooks. Probably that's also why I still like red setters with lots of white and studying their history and question marking so called "facts" by investing them yourself.

When he died I wanted a new one. This being very expensive my father said: get yourself a job. So I delivered nearly all Dutch dailies and bought the second: Lady.

Than I thought how ok it would be to breed my own red setters one lucky day and write in those dailies in stead of biking half of the town while most people were still asleep... In a nutshell, both came true.

And not only for that, Rex was my inspiration.

Henk ten Klooster.

[yvonne]

my love started when my sister bought their first Irish , since i had more time i made long walks with Quantos , when i got married we wanted a dog , my husband wanted a german shepperd and i the Irish , we went to a shelter to look for a dog that we both wanted and there he was , just 1 day in the shelter , the Irish Setter Chippy and i felt in love with him , from that moment on the Setter took part of our lives , we have had 3 Irish and 1 Gordon , now we have a Irish again , a 13 months old boy , Kimmo and two Gordons , Pelle and Bear , setters will always be a part of our lives , for us the most wonderful breed

[ursula wilby]

Im sorry to say (?) I never had any great longings to own an irish setter at all. When I was growing up, a german shephard was the breed I desperatly wanted but ended up getting a toy-poodle from my parents instead. I loved the poodle, taught her tons of tricks. She was terrific at tracking and amazingly easy to work with (in hindsight). But I had still set my sights on a german shephard. So when I got married, that was the dog I bought. He was great, and all I ever wanted in a dog (or so I thought at the time). But then we moved from Sweden to England and he was put into quarentine for six months. I dont know what happened, but he died after two months and I was left dog-less. I tried finding a dog like my shephard and searched high and low...but then you never can find a true copy and replace one dog with another can you? I suppose I was too young to know. I then looked at labradors, at curly coated retrievers, at flat coated retrievers. But my heart was never in it...so I somehow ended up looking at a litter of irish setters (I never even wanted to look...like me? Wanting an irish setter? Never!) Well I fell instantly in love! Not with the shiny coat, not with the colour, not with the elegant look. No, I fell in love with the nature of the breed. The happiness and the kindness. And now, well over 30 years later, I still feel the same way. I could not care less if the irish setter was blue or grey, I fell in love with the inside, and that is the part I still adore.
Ursula

[Mavis]

I read a lot of books when I was young and one of them was, of course - Big Red. I didn't think too much of it and at the time I had a small mixed breed dog, but a few years later, I met a man walking the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. I talked to him for awhile and played with his dog (of course it was an Irish Setter), and when I went home I told my parents that I would get an Irish Setter one day. It was several years after that when my 1st red dog came into my life and I was lucky enough to have him for 16 wonderful years. When Red left for the Rainbow Bridge I had more dogs - mostly mixed breed and all rescues. Four years ago while taking Dakota (a springer spaniel cross) for a run & swim at the dog park, I met a man with an Irish Setter. I hadn't seen one for years and seeing and petting that beautiful dog brought all the memories of Red back. I couldn't keep the redheads off my mind and when I saw a posting for a rescue Irish Setter on a local e-mail list a few weeks later, I replied. Before I knew it, I had Chester home with me and Dakota. Chester isn't the flashy show type, but he has all the personality that I remember with Red.