tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post116615145327582723..comments2024-03-26T22:16:26.572-04:00Comments on Terrierman's Daily Dose: Dogs Shows As Human FailingPBurnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05781540805883519064noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-86464882953191460432009-02-05T00:00:00.000-05:002009-02-05T00:00:00.000-05:00I had two wonderful field-bred Irish Setters, both...I had two wonderful field-bred Irish Setters, both incredibly birdy. The second one we had was working on field and bench titles and was equally excellent in obedience. He did not look like the overly-angulated show stock we see on the tube, but he was a dog of nice bone, a beautiful animal that, at least as a young dog in small local shows, had done well. I wasn't that interested in showing him, concentrating more on field work though I'm in no way a hunter. But, even as a very young puppy before he learned to hold a point he had a soft mouth and never hurt a bird. I just liked doing what HE liked to do, and running gorgeous hunting patterns in gun dog fields was fun. Of course, living on a farm we did it by ourselves pretty much every day, but it was nice to see him appreciated by grizzled old-timers who didn't know the 20-something girl whispering, "Get a bird..." to her dog. Two great dogs I still miss a lot.<BR/><BR/>SeahorseSeahorsehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00133454380103294333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-81929558802849882382009-02-04T08:51:00.000-05:002009-02-04T08:51:00.000-05:00I can't watch dog shows. When I watch the "Sportin...I can't watch dog shows. When I watch the "Sporting [sic] group" I want to throw up. There are only a handful of Sporting [sic] breeds that can be shown according to their standards and the "fancy points" and still do their work efficiently. Yes, I really want a golden retriever with 8 inches of feathering and so much bone that it lumbers around just slightly better than another monstrosity of that group-- the Clumsy, er, Clumber spaniel.<BR/><BR/>I once told a high school teacher how much some professional handlers made showing dogs. He was totally taken aback.<BR/><BR/>The only show Irish setter that I ever read about that could point birds was a fictional one. I read about him when I was 9 years old in Jim Kjelgaard's "Big Red." (For juvenile fiction, I highly recommend his books. With the exception of the books on the setters, all of the rest of them are about working dogs of all sorts.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com