Monday, May 23, 2011
Cheerio, and all that
Friday, May 20, 2011
Not a Brittany are you?
“What kind of spaniel are you?” The latest round of guessing what breed of dog is Maya. At the reserve I stopped at the pavilion on the lakeshore and sat watching the water and the Canada goose that was making Maya nervous. Three slightly goth-looking young people stopped, two girls and a heavy-set, longhaired boy. The girls marveled at how well behaved and sweet Maya was, saying when they found out how young she was that she was going to be a great dog. Then one, talking to Maya, wondered the above.
People are always guessing her to be a spaniel, often an English Springer spaniel, though I don’t think she’s the right color from what I’ve seen but that’s not to say I’ve seen very many. The other day a guy a couple blocks from here, who has a collie and border collie colored dog he says is some sort of shepherd, mistook Maya for a Brittany spaniel. That would be pretty close in looks. From the pictures I’ve seen on the web—having never actually seen a Brittany spaniel—they seem to have a heavier coat and more of an orange color to their patches, rather than the chestnut of the Irish setters. And, of course, Maya’s tail isn’t docked. No one ever takes her for an Irish setter and I suspect few people have ever heard of a the Irish red and white setter. People are often surprised when I tell them that’s what she is, and I often hear, “I thought Irish setters were only red.”
Most Irish setters now are all red. Apparently, it wasn’t always so.
Breeders of the Irish red and white setters say the breed dates to at least the mid-1700s and cite paintings from the period depicting red and white setters. Registering dog breeds didn’t happen until the 1860s. According to Maya’s breeder, Jean Plumber, writing in The Pointing Dog Journal, both all-red and red and white setters were shown at the Rotunda Show in Dublin, Ireland, in 1863, and after that time the reds became more fashionable, particularly in the United States. By the end of World War I, during which the breeding of sport dogs stopped became of food shortages during the war, the Irish red and white setters had declined to the point that a concerted effort had to be made to restore the breed.
The Website www.dogbreedinfo.com says the following about the Irish red and white setter:
Original Irish Setters were parti-colored, red and white. The solid red Irish Setters were rare. In about 1850 the red Irish Setter began to gain popularity. The parti-colored setter started its slow decline. The Red and White Irish Setters became nearly extinct except for the few enthusiasts who kept the breed alive. In the 1920's an attempt was made at the revival of the breed and it is from here that present owners can trace their pedigrees. In 1944 the Irish Red and White Club was formed. In 1984 the National Irish Red and White Setter Club of America, Inc. was formed. The Irish Red and White Setter was first recognized by the AKC in 2006.
Anne Bailey, from Thatcham, England, writing in The Irish Decider Magazine, which is published by and for Irish red and white setter enthusiasts, contends the red and white came before the all-red Irish setters and lays out her research on the issue. The following is from Bailey’s article:
Colonel J K Millner in his book ‘The Irish Setter – Its History and its Training’ also makes reference to ‘the splendid red and white setters …’ [and] he describes how he has tried to discover the origin of the Irish setter, he writes, ‘ I have often tried to find out which, the red and whites or the reds, were the older breed, and as far as I can find out from the oldest breeders, viz., the late John King of Ballylin, the late Edward Evans of Gortmerron and the late Mr Tom Hendrick of Kerdiffstown, the two breeds were distinct in their time, but they all agree that in their early days the reds were inclined to throw pups with white on face, chest and feet, and that some breeders were greater offenders in this way than others.’
He continues to say, ‘From the above we can deduce either that the breeds were distinct and were sometimes crossed, or that the original breed was red and white in no fixed proportion of colour … The latter deduction I am inclined to favour, especially as we know the setter evolved from the spaniel and that white predominated in the early spaniels.’
Bailey’s article can be found (at least for the time being) at:
http://www.vci.net/~redwing/mag2.htm
The Irish Red and White Setter Association also has information on the breed:
http://www.irishredwhitesetterassociation.com/history.html
as does the Irish Red and White Setter Club: http://www.irishredandwhitesetterclub.org/
The American Kennel Club also believes the Irish red and white setter came before the solid colored ones: http://www.akc.org/breeds/irish_red_white_setter/history.cfm
I also found references that say both Irish setters are descendant from France, particularly Brittany spaniels. Here’s one explanation of that: https://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/irish-red-and-white-setter-likes-ducks/
So, the girl’s question to Maya maybe wasn’t so far off.
What kind of spaniel are you?
People are always guessing her to be a spaniel, often an English Springer spaniel, though I don’t think she’s the right color from what I’ve seen but that’s not to say I’ve seen very many. The other day a guy a couple blocks from here, who has a collie and border collie colored dog he says is some sort of shepherd, mistook Maya for a Brittany spaniel. That would be pretty close in looks. From the pictures I’ve seen on the web—having never actually seen a Brittany spaniel—they seem to have a heavier coat and more of an orange color to their patches, rather than the chestnut of the Irish setters. And, of course, Maya’s tail isn’t docked. No one ever takes her for an Irish setter and I suspect few people have ever heard of a the Irish red and white setter. People are often surprised when I tell them that’s what she is, and I often hear, “I thought Irish setters were only red.”
Most Irish setters now are all red. Apparently, it wasn’t always so.
Breeders of the Irish red and white setters say the breed dates to at least the mid-1700s and cite paintings from the period depicting red and white setters. Registering dog breeds didn’t happen until the 1860s. According to Maya’s breeder, Jean Plumber, writing in The Pointing Dog Journal, both all-red and red and white setters were shown at the Rotunda Show in Dublin, Ireland, in 1863, and after that time the reds became more fashionable, particularly in the United States. By the end of World War I, during which the breeding of sport dogs stopped became of food shortages during the war, the Irish red and white setters had declined to the point that a concerted effort had to be made to restore the breed.
The Website www.dogbreedinfo.com says the following about the Irish red and white setter:
Original Irish Setters were parti-colored, red and white. The solid red Irish Setters were rare. In about 1850 the red Irish Setter began to gain popularity. The parti-colored setter started its slow decline. The Red and White Irish Setters became nearly extinct except for the few enthusiasts who kept the breed alive. In the 1920's an attempt was made at the revival of the breed and it is from here that present owners can trace their pedigrees. In 1944 the Irish Red and White Club was formed. In 1984 the National Irish Red and White Setter Club of America, Inc. was formed. The Irish Red and White Setter was first recognized by the AKC in 2006.
Anne Bailey, from Thatcham, England, writing in The Irish Decider Magazine, which is published by and for Irish red and white setter enthusiasts, contends the red and white came before the all-red Irish setters and lays out her research on the issue. The following is from Bailey’s article:
Colonel J K Millner in his book ‘The Irish Setter – Its History and its Training’ also makes reference to ‘the splendid red and white setters …’ [and] he describes how he has tried to discover the origin of the Irish setter, he writes, ‘ I have often tried to find out which, the red and whites or the reds, were the older breed, and as far as I can find out from the oldest breeders, viz., the late John King of Ballylin, the late Edward Evans of Gortmerron and the late Mr Tom Hendrick of Kerdiffstown, the two breeds were distinct in their time, but they all agree that in their early days the reds were inclined to throw pups with white on face, chest and feet, and that some breeders were greater offenders in this way than others.’
He continues to say, ‘From the above we can deduce either that the breeds were distinct and were sometimes crossed, or that the original breed was red and white in no fixed proportion of colour … The latter deduction I am inclined to favour, especially as we know the setter evolved from the spaniel and that white predominated in the early spaniels.’
Bailey’s article can be found (at least for the time being) at:
http://www.vci.net/~redwing/mag2.htm
The Irish Red and White Setter Association also has information on the breed:
http://www.irishredwhitesetterassociation.com/history.html
as does the Irish Red and White Setter Club: http://www.irishredandwhitesetterclub.org/
The American Kennel Club also believes the Irish red and white setter came before the solid colored ones: http://www.akc.org/breeds/irish_red_white_setter/history.cfm
I also found references that say both Irish setters are descendant from France, particularly Brittany spaniels. Here’s one explanation of that: https://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/irish-red-and-white-setter-likes-ducks/
So, the girl’s question to Maya maybe wasn’t so far off.
What kind of spaniel are you?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Dark encounter
Rainy day and I took Maya out—with a lot of prodding as she is skittish about water. I wanted to make sure she defecated because otherwise she has accidents in the house and she didn't go when she was out first thing this morning. Had that problem twice last week and I look at those as my fault for not giving her enough time to go. Maybe she needs to eat an earlier dinner and then she'll need to go in the morning.
Since we had also forgotten to take out the trash I hauled the two plastic barrels out front. When Maya heard the trash truck coming she wanted to investigate so I took her out. She didn't bark and was more intent on sniffing things. When the truck left, I picked up the lids and got the barrels ready to take out back and was looking down the street where the men were picking up other cans. Good thing I saw him coming. I'd have freaked if I'd turned around and been staring him in the face. I turned Maya toward our door and tried to head for it but he was there in the yard and Maya was turning to see him before I'd gotten but a couple of yards. She jumped back and then let out a bark. Both Maya and this charcoal gray great Dane went nose to nose, with Maya lowering, her tailing down and wagging.
The neighbor two houses down who owns the Dane was coming briskly up the street. The dogs continued to check each other out, and by the time the owner got to his dog I wasn't worried about them anyway. Maya wanted play with her new-found neighbor but I thought it best if I didn't encourage the Dane to come to our house—and besides it was raining.
Meche and her assistant, Gi, said they thought the Dane's name was "Goose."
Like the bird?
"Yeah, G-u-s ..."
Since we had also forgotten to take out the trash I hauled the two plastic barrels out front. When Maya heard the trash truck coming she wanted to investigate so I took her out. She didn't bark and was more intent on sniffing things. When the truck left, I picked up the lids and got the barrels ready to take out back and was looking down the street where the men were picking up other cans. Good thing I saw him coming. I'd have freaked if I'd turned around and been staring him in the face. I turned Maya toward our door and tried to head for it but he was there in the yard and Maya was turning to see him before I'd gotten but a couple of yards. She jumped back and then let out a bark. Both Maya and this charcoal gray great Dane went nose to nose, with Maya lowering, her tailing down and wagging.
The neighbor two houses down who owns the Dane was coming briskly up the street. The dogs continued to check each other out, and by the time the owner got to his dog I wasn't worried about them anyway. Maya wanted play with her new-found neighbor but I thought it best if I didn't encourage the Dane to come to our house—and besides it was raining.
Meche and her assistant, Gi, said they thought the Dane's name was "Goose."
Like the bird?
"Yeah, G-u-s ..."
Monday, May 16, 2011
Territorialism
Maya went on her second road trip on Saturday and learned a valuable lesson in territorialism.
After puppy class we came home and I let her play outside in the yard for a while before we headed to Connecticut for a picnic at my brother’s house. She got along well with his dog, a rescued beagle, but since both were tethered to long lines they kept getting tangled.
Then we went to R&B’s place and we met their dog, an absolutely beautiful Siberian husky that is the sweetest dog you could imagine. Stasha, the husky, welcomed Maya nicely and even got out some of her toys for Maya. Then the two played on the floor while I sat on the couch chatting with my old college roomy and his wife and boy, who is in late 20s. All was well, until we went out onto the desk to look at some work they’d been doing on the place. Maya decided she could probably get through the railing and started trying. I didn’t think she could. Duh! She made half a dozen tries and then wriggled through one! I headed for the gate and managed to grab her on the other side. Then R had to go make some nonchalant comment about just letting the two dogs play in the yard.
I let her go and go she went. Through the thicket of bamboo—why a Vietnam vet with a history of PTSD would lines his yard with bamboo I haven’t figured, though it is a great natural fence, just not at the one gap Maya bee-lined into. At first I was worried because the neighbor is a disagreeable misanthrope, but as Boy headed after Maya, taking Stasha along for help, I started hearing a lot of unfamiliar barking.
I went around the bamboo and headed uphill to the high end of the neighbor’s yard toward that of another neighbor where a woman was down on her knees holding back a big and rather annoyed dog that looked to be a sort of long-haired German shepherd. Maya was blithely trotting out from another part of that dog’s yard, although the two animals were separated by a fenced garden. I thought she was heading back to me, until Maya abruptly turned and headed straight for the snarling shepherd! Boy and I both started yelling, Maya! The look on the woman’s faced was like, ‘Oh, shit! Not good.’ Maya just has not known anything but other friendly pups that only want to play
I was imaging having to try to rescue her from that dog and wondering how badly she’d be hurt when realized what was happening. Finally. She bolted and headed back, head and tail down and her hackles standing straight up. She did take a quick look back at the other dog and then scooted over to me. I leashed her, tossed apologies over to the woman and brought Maya back to the house. We went in and Maya settled down protected between the couch and chair. Maya had gotten her first lesson in territorialism.
Yesterday, she was still nervous. I took her out to go for a walk, and rather than go in the car we started up the hill to walk around the neighborhood. She wasn’t any too happy about it and balked considerable, especially as we approached the house two doors up from us, where they also have a big shepherd that likes to bark down at us from time to time. Maya was certainly more alert on this roam about the neighborhood than usual and I had to push her on a bit keep her going sometime. She wasn’t tired, since she hadn’t been out much yesterday because of the rain. I think she would have been just as happy to have stayed safely at home.
After puppy class we came home and I let her play outside in the yard for a while before we headed to Connecticut for a picnic at my brother’s house. She got along well with his dog, a rescued beagle, but since both were tethered to long lines they kept getting tangled.
Then we went to R&B’s place and we met their dog, an absolutely beautiful Siberian husky that is the sweetest dog you could imagine. Stasha, the husky, welcomed Maya nicely and even got out some of her toys for Maya. Then the two played on the floor while I sat on the couch chatting with my old college roomy and his wife and boy, who is in late 20s. All was well, until we went out onto the desk to look at some work they’d been doing on the place. Maya decided she could probably get through the railing and started trying. I didn’t think she could. Duh! She made half a dozen tries and then wriggled through one! I headed for the gate and managed to grab her on the other side. Then R had to go make some nonchalant comment about just letting the two dogs play in the yard.
I let her go and go she went. Through the thicket of bamboo—why a Vietnam vet with a history of PTSD would lines his yard with bamboo I haven’t figured, though it is a great natural fence, just not at the one gap Maya bee-lined into. At first I was worried because the neighbor is a disagreeable misanthrope, but as Boy headed after Maya, taking Stasha along for help, I started hearing a lot of unfamiliar barking.
I went around the bamboo and headed uphill to the high end of the neighbor’s yard toward that of another neighbor where a woman was down on her knees holding back a big and rather annoyed dog that looked to be a sort of long-haired German shepherd. Maya was blithely trotting out from another part of that dog’s yard, although the two animals were separated by a fenced garden. I thought she was heading back to me, until Maya abruptly turned and headed straight for the snarling shepherd! Boy and I both started yelling, Maya! The look on the woman’s faced was like, ‘Oh, shit! Not good.’ Maya just has not known anything but other friendly pups that only want to play
I was imaging having to try to rescue her from that dog and wondering how badly she’d be hurt when realized what was happening. Finally. She bolted and headed back, head and tail down and her hackles standing straight up. She did take a quick look back at the other dog and then scooted over to me. I leashed her, tossed apologies over to the woman and brought Maya back to the house. We went in and Maya settled down protected between the couch and chair. Maya had gotten her first lesson in territorialism.
Yesterday, she was still nervous. I took her out to go for a walk, and rather than go in the car we started up the hill to walk around the neighborhood. She wasn’t any too happy about it and balked considerable, especially as we approached the house two doors up from us, where they also have a big shepherd that likes to bark down at us from time to time. Maya was certainly more alert on this roam about the neighborhood than usual and I had to push her on a bit keep her going sometime. She wasn’t tired, since she hadn’t been out much yesterday because of the rain. I think she would have been just as happy to have stayed safely at home.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
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