I grew up with dogs. When I was very young my parents had a little Pomeranian-Poodle mix named Toto and a huge Newfoundland named Bruno, but they were old and passed not long after I began school. Then my dad wanted to get a grouse hunting dog. I was 7 years old and obsessed with 101 Dalmatians at the time and wanted one of those black and white spotted dogs more than anything. What we got was a black and white spotted English Springer Spaniel puppy. I picked the runt of the litter (with a tail docked a little too short), and named her Rosie.
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| Not actually Rosie, but she looked similar! |
Rosie was a special dog. My dad was raising her during the low end of the grouse cycle so there weren't many birds around to chase, and though we took her hunting and she went through the motions, she never found a bird. Instead, she developed a love for rocks. She wasn't a big fan of tennis balls, but if you rubbed a rock in your hand and threw it into the woods, in a few minutes she'd come back with the same rock and bark at you until you threw it again. Carrying rocks actually rubbed her lower canine teeth down to stubs, but we couldn't get her to stop. She was also the happiest dog ever and her tiny tail was vibrating almost constantly.
Springers are better suited to hunting for things like pheasant in open fields since the dog is used to scare ground birds into flight. They're called flushing dogs for that reason, as opposed to pointing dogs. The third type of gun dog is the retriever. While I loved Rosie, I don't think the hunting style of the breed works as well for ruffed grouse - especially early in the season when the brush is thick.
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| These birds can disappear in seconds. |
I decided long ago that when it was time for me to get my own hunting dog, I was getting a breed that points. I hunt for meat and prefer to shoot birds on the ground as opposed to sport hunting "on the fly," where the chance of missing is higher. Hunting grouse on the ground also offers the least amount of suffering possible, and that's important to me.
There are several options when it comes to pointing breeds. There is a breed actually called the Pointer, but I'm not a big fan of short-coated dogs. Brittany Spaniels look like red-brown Springers and they hunt like pointers, though they tend to be hyper and I also prefer a dog with a long tail.
Enter the setter. There are several breeds of setter that look slightly different but hunt much the same way. Gordon Setters are large and mostly black with brown features. Irish Setters are a rich, classic red. Irish Red and White Setters are gorgeous, but rare and expensive. Llewellin English Setters are perfect.
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| My, what a big tongue you have! |
Like many working dogs, the English Setter has two breed types that are still considered the same breed - show and field. Llewellin Setters are field type English Setters that have been specially bred for generations to possess strong instinctual hunting skills. They also have a slightly different, more attractive look.
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| Tricolors are my favorite. |
They're my perfect hunting dog. They're beautiful, intelligent, loving animals that don't have the hyper qualities of the Spaniels nor the size or restrictive coloration of the Gordon. They also apparently make good watch dogs, and that's important when you want to raise animals that need to be protected from other animals.
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| Did I mention they're adorable? |
It took some time, but I convinced Jordan that this is the dog for us. We're both fans of the Irish Red and White Setter too, and there happens to be a breeder in Duluth, but they're a little too expensive. Llewellins are around $800 themselves. A hunting dog will likely be the first major animal purchase we make after we move to MN, once we're settled and ready for the commitment.
You might be asking, "Why drop that kind of money on a dog when you can adopt one at a shelter?" For a family pet I'm all about adopting and highly encourage it, but when you're getting a dog that helps you do a job, there are other things to consider, and the difference is in the breeding. I don't mind paying more for the assurance that the dog comes from a strong hunting line, and I look forward to the incredible journey that is working with and training a puppy to become not just a beloved companion, but a working dog that can help us put dinner on the table.
Jordan has expressed an interest in a corgi as a future dog. Maybe when we have a group of reindeer to herd...
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