GREAT BRITAIN

Irish Red and White Setter Club of Great Britain

May I take this opportunity to thank the hosts for the inviting me to attend and speak at this event.

The IRWSCGB was founded in 1980 and this is well documented. What is often forgotten is that many of those founding members are still very active in the breed and it is pleasing to go to shows and other breed events and see them. The members owe a debt of gratitude and to them we are grateful.

There are now 3 breed clubs in the UK – IRWSCGB, Southern Society for Irish Red and White Setters (SSIRWS) and The Irish Red and White Setter Club of Scotland. The Scottish club has had championship show status for several years whilst the SSIRWS has held 2 very successful Open shows. All 3 clubs also host other events of interest linked to both the breed and to the world of dogs in general. All 3 clubs also have websites where other information can be obtained and they are certainly worth a look. Whilst I am a member of all 3 clubs, I am not qualified to comment on the other clubs and I would advise you to seek out the websites and get any information you want that way. I would only say that I know many of the committee members of both clubs and can readily say that they won’t bite!

Since 1980, the IRWSCGB has continued to evolve and has become one of the leading clubs for the breed worldwide. We currently have a membership of over 350 which includes around 40 overseas members from all over Europe, N. America and Australasia. Our members have exported dogs throughout the world and it was certainly interesting when I judges in California in 2005 to find dogs that were closely related to my own. It is a small world and it’s getting smaller!

It is fair to say that the most popular activity of the IRWS club members in the UK is in dog showing and in this area we have gone from strength to strength. There is almost certainly a dog show every weekend that has classes for the breed although for most exhibitors it is the "championship" shows that are most appealing. I am sure that you are aware that it is at these shows that CRUFTS qualifying places are won and like it or not, it is seen as the ultimate show.

The IRWSCGB holds 3 shows every year, one of which has "championship" status and they attract entries from 40 through to 75. The entries have been dwindling at shows over the past few years and the club is always looking at ways to improve this. It is interesting that in the UK last year at least 178 different dogs were shown at some point. (Information taken from the Club points competition, compiled by Mrs. Pat Brigden). The dogs are therefore out there but we need to get them to the shows. It is however becoming a very expensive "hobby" with entries at most shows at over £20 per dog and with petrol in the UK at almost £1 per litre it can soon mount up. I would suggest at typical dog show day out would now cost over £100. This aside however, the breed is certainly now making its mark winning both gundog group placings and even a BIS.

The working and field trial side of things is also still very popular with the IRWS excelling at these activities. I confess that this is an area that I have very little knowledge in but I am certainly very proud of the success that the club members have achieved.

I am also aware of some very dedicated people who are now doing "heelwork to music" with the breed. I personally cannot wait to see the routines. There is even an IRWS that is one of the top dogs in my local agility group – putting most of the others to shame.

For my own part, Declan currently excels in eating and can do very serious damage to any type of treat. I feel sorry for the pigs ears as he goes at then with great gusto! This breed is a pleasure and we are certainly fortunate to own such lovely and talented animals.

The breed is generally a healthy one and in the UK we currently expect all animals to be tested for CLAD, Von Willebrand’s Disease and have eyes tested for PPC. The biggest push in recent times has been to raise money for research into developing a DNA diagnostic test for this condition. The club was certainly very fortunate that along with over £4000 raised by the members, we received a very substantial award of £29000 from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust. This is no doubt a reflection on the previous hard work that the members undertook in raising funds for other research and the very pro-active approach that has been taken in managing the other conditions. As I write this, the work on this test is ongoing and I look forward to the day when a test is available. The members were very sensible in their breeding programs regarding affected stock and this has sadly meant that many very fine animals were lost to the gene pool.

In 2003, a Kennel Club (UK) initiative identified 28 of our native breeds of dog as being "vulnerable". The criteria for being listed as vulnerable is - breed registrations with an overall trend of less than 300 per year (in the UK) over a period of ten years. The original list compiled by the Kennel Club took into account breed registrations from 1993 to 2003. This has subsequently been increased to 29 breeds.

The IRWS is one of those breeds and there is some concern amongst the membership whether or not this is a good thing. For the time being, the IRWSCGB has decided to ally itself to being directly involved as it is clearly easier to influence things you are part of. The concerns relate primarily to what will happen if there is a large increase in the number of litters being bred. In July this year we had 10 dogs all in rescue at the same time. Thankfully due to the hard work and dedication of those involved much of this was quickly dealt with, but it is worrying how quickly this can happen. The Rescue part of the IRWSCGB is currently looking to obtain charity status, which will make a huge difference in the protection of its funds and the types of fundraising activity that can be undertaken. It is a reflection on how important this work is seen that at the same time as the substantial sum was being raised for the PPC DNA test fund, 0ver £1000 was raised towards the rescue coffers.

As for the future, in 2009 the IRWSCGB will be celebrating its Silver Anniversary and its 21^st championship show. These milestones cannot go un-noticed and plans are underway for a conference to be held in the UK around our championship show weekend. This is currently forecast as 14^th June. Put the dates in your diary now.

We are also looking to work with all of the other breed clubs for the betterment of the breed and harmonisation where possible. A proposal to look at changing the UK Breed Standard was discussed at the last AGM and although defeated that is not to say that it will not be revisited after a suitable time and appropriate changes.

In closing can I stress that whilst all of the information given is based on the facts I have, all opinions are my own and any mistakes are attributable only to me and not to the IRWSCGB.

As any previous chairman of this club (or any other club for that matter) will tell you, it is not always an easy job and there are certainly times it feels thankless. However I would like to say that overall I am very pleased to be associated with this lovely breed and I wish everyone much success and more importantly, continued enjoyment with their dogs.

Thank you

Gordon Hayburn