It is indeed with great pleasure that I have accepted to talk to you about the situation of the IRWS in Italy. It is an argument that gives me joy and sorrow at the same time.

Joy because – as all of you present here today – I do love the breed, and sorrow because I have to admit that after 12 long or short years ( depending how we look at them) the IRWS is not yet well known and appreciated in Italy as it should.

Let’s start with some figures that will make more clear my statement.

I have personally imported in 12 years (since l994)

6 bitches (4 from show lines and 2 from working lines) and

2 dogs (both from show lines)

Giving thus a total of 8 imports.

I know of another 4 imports (2 bitches and 2 dogs) also from show lines who have not produced any litters in these years. Prior to this date, there were 2 IRWS in Italy but the breed wasn’t at that time recognized by FCI and anyway none of these produced any litter either.

From these dogs and bitches 11 litters were born for a total of 56 puppies

9 puppies were sent abroad (Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Greece, Czeck Rep., USA)

9 were kept in my kennel as showing and reproduction stock

38 puppies were sold in Italy as pet. This is a total of 59 IRWS.

Not much of a dog population after all these years and work, not enough to have a Club of its own.

In fact, in Italy there isn’t a Club for IRWS as the requested numbers of dogs and owners for funding an independent Club are far from close.

The IRWS is right now part of the Italian Setter Society (SIS) which has 3 subsections: The English Setter Club, The Gordon Setter Club and The Irish Red and Irish Red and White Setter Club.

Each of the clubs has a president that relates to the president of SIS.

Breed Specialties (both working and showing) are in relation to the puppies born each year in each breed. Thus for more than 1000 registered puppies a year there will be 6 special shows and 4 club shows, and for less than 1000 puppies a year, the specialties will be 4 and 2 club shows. This both in working or showing scene.

There is still only one recognized kennel from the ENCI FCI in Italy and it is mine: United Spots.

In these years this kennel has produced

1 Dual Champion (the first in Europe and probably in the whole world)

2 Working Champions

8 International Champions

10 Italian Champions

3 European Champions

5 World champions, plus various other championship which include Austrian, Swiss, Slovenia Full Champions and San Marino Champions. Plus all the titles gained from the puppies sold abroad.

This is not by all means an account of all the wins but a way to illustrate that that if we look at figures we can easily understand how this breed is much more versatile than other setters breeds.

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In fact, with a birth of 16.924 registered puppies in 2005, the English Setter has the lion’s part in the setter scene here in Italy, followed by the Irish Setter (with 831) Gordon Setter (360) and IRWS (10),- but only 1 in 2004 and 1 in 2006. It is evident that if we go by percentage, the lion’s part in working and showing is for sure to be awarded to the IRWS.

Nevertheless we are at a standstill. The hunters don’t want to invest in a breed that is not known and show goers have the fear of losing their money if they adventure in a breed which is not popular, as puppies will be unsold.

This leads to another serious problem in breeding. For our kennel Club, each recognized breeder has to produce at least 2 litters from 2 different bitches in a 3 year’s period. If this requirement is not met, the breeder will lose the Affix. But not having many request for puppies in various breeds, a lot of people are in my same situation…risking to lose the affix in order not to produce puppies which couldn’t be placed.

I have been thinking of a way to solve this problem but up until now, even if the IRWS has been involved in shows, hunting, trials, parades, television programs, advertising etc., people’s mind are set towards different breeds.

Most of the puppies are sold as pets for the above mentioned reasons and everybody can easily understand that there are many other breeds that would make better pets than the IRWS for size (many people live in an apartment) and maintenance costs.

Italy is a long peninsula of about 1.200 Kilometers from North to South. It does take time, money and dedication to travel the long of it to attend the most shows and to have the breed seen by as many as possible.

Problems with judges? Yes. But this is not the right place to discuss about interpretations of standard or other personal views.

I just want to stress that the most disappointing note is to be alone in the ring, or to compete against my own stock (dog against bitch or champion against young or working class). And this has been going on already for l0 years.

The type of IRWS in Italy is fairly established now, as all dogs come from 1 kennel. Only lately working blood has been "poured" again, giving a fairly good mixture both of working ability and nice looks.

Not all judges know the standard or may have seen an IRWS, but as it is so almost all over Europe, we are ready to take our share… winning or losing, depending on the day.

Oh, I love this part, as it has been the most distressing, difficult, amazingly rewarding part of owning an IRWS.

If you were present at the last Conference you would for sure know that a working standard had been drawn by Ireland and should have been effectively received and contemplated by all judges in working trials naturally of FCI countries.

But let’s talk about BEFORE that time. Imagine to go in a ring with a breed that has no breed standard…and you have to convince the judge by looks and structure, that THAT DOG that he has in front is indeed a representative of a certain breed…that he has never seen standing, walking, or never seen at all!!!

Imagine then participating to a trial, against the best setters and pointers. Imagine your first IRWS in the country running in those trials….with NO WORKING STANDARD to be judged from.

The dog or the bitch could be the best dog in the battery, could do the best points…but who would have the courage to put him up as a winner in front of all these other well known dogs of well known breeds?

This was the situation before the working standard had been drawn, and I must thank Ireland, that with the FCI recognition of the country, the breed standard has been finalized.

In fact, if before the aim of participating to trials was to be awarded a "very good" that could give the dog the right to enter the working class to achieve the Show Championship, judges would sometimes overcome the problem of not having ever read a working standard for the IRWS as long as the dog performed as a good hunting setter and had a good speed and point. But the music would definitely change if the same dog would aim for an "excellent" or a CAC…or a CACIT and try to achieve a working Championship!!!

Now, I don’t know how many judges really have read the working standard of the IRWS, but in these years more IRWS have been seen in trials and judges can now compare the various styles and eagerness of the dogs presented in those trials.

Let me spend a few words now on the style of trialling of the IRWS that I have owned (not all naturally!!), but just a few clear and definite examples of various type of styles.

First I would like to talk about

Pepperstown Polly - Polly, coming from all Irish working line has the body construction that will allow her to be a good trialler. She is lean a little tall on her legs, has enough deepness of chest but not a heavy bone structure. Her gallop is very fast and flowing, but not from the start, as she will set in line gaining speed. Her point is steady and eager.

United Spots Irish Pride – Brett , my dual Champion comes from show lines (not without a fantastic hunting brain that goes with it). His construction is perfect for the Italian grounds that are usually flat for field trials and gentle slopes and wooded areas for hunting trials. His is not too high on his legs, a little longer than square, but well balanced ,harmonious and strong boned. Plenty of chest for endurance. His gallop is in line, his set full and concentrated, maybe the best of all dogs I own, and most stylish. He isn’t that fast but flowing and a pleasure to look at. He is very steady on point and would never miss a scent. Perfect nose, perfect timing.

Different again is

United Spots Night Wish – Kash – whose gallop is definitely fast.He will start the quest with speed and has a flowing movement which allows him to cover plenty of ground.

And then

United Spots O’Healy - Pollina daughter of Polly and Kash, thus a mixture half working and half show lines seems to have gotten the style of the father plus even more speed than the mother. She has a more steady and easy character and a good definition of gallop….but she is still very young and all to see. As for her construction…well, she is not for the ring, although she has a very nice coat, and a prettier head than the mother, nice size, but not much bone, so I prefer to see her running in trials rather than running in a ring.

As a conclusion of this Italian panoramic "view" on the IRWS I think that the most important thing is that we continue to work all together for the future development of the breed without prejudices and with an eye to the health and well being of our companions.

Thank you all.