The Southern Society for Irish Red and White Setters
President: Mr T Creamer Vice President: Mrs P Grayson
PRESENTATION
TO
THE IRISH RED AND WHITE SETTER CLUB OF IRELAND
ON
THEIR 25TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING IN DUBLIN
ON
SATURDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER 2006.
My name is Muriel Iles. I am the Chairman of the Southern Society for Irish Red and White Setters in Great Britain and I felt you would be interested to know about us.
When I came into the Breed 20 years ago, I came with 30 years experience of breeding, showing and working Golden Retrievers, with some success and the prefix “Glennessa” was already well established in the dog world.
Twenty years ago there was little or no encouragement of field working skills for the novice or beginner with Red and Whites in the South or West of England. I invited a few interested owners to my home to do a little gundog nursery training. From these simple beginnings interest grew, gradually more people attended the regular classes throughout the summer and handlers were beginning to enjoy seeing what they were capable of doing with their dogs. From my years of experience in gundog training I knew that the Breed had natural working ability, it was just the handlers that needed training! Our regular training sessions have always ended with a happy social gathering with time to chat and answer questions and swop ideas over a cup of tea and a piece of cake. That was 15 years ago and the pattern set then still continues in the field.
As time went on the membership increased, and suggestions came into play to cover the various needs of the members and included Judges and Stewards Teach- ins, talks on Grooming and Show Preparation, Canine Medical talks, including alternative therapies, social get-togethers and the all important fund raising events. A great deal of hard work by the Committee and helpers always ensured that members and their friends enjoyed themselves with their dogs. Over the years we have been pleased to welcome members from the other Red and White Clubs who have taken part in our events.
In November 2004 we were delighted to be recognised by the Kennel Club as a fully registered Breed Society of the United Kingdom. My Committee continues to organise a full programme of five annual events including, since registration, our summer Open Show, as well as the ongoing field training classes from April to September culminating in an annual Assessment Day. We publish a Newsletter twice a year which keeps members in the United Kingdom and those abroad in touch with the Breed generally, the Society and one another. We run a 100 Club for the benefit of our members and we support our chosen charity Canine Partners, that train dogs to care for people in their own homes who live with a disability.
The Society runs a small “shop” selling a variety of useful gifts and items of clothing carrying its distinctive logo of the head of a Red and White against a green shamrock and full details of these and other activities can be found on our well organised website www.redandwhitesetters.co.uk
Recognising the need to support and save our diminishing Breed Classes at Open Shows, the Society has for many years sponsored the Red and White classes at four southern Open All Breed shows with special prizes to encourage the entries. This is important as without these classes there would be fewer places to show our dogs and fewer places for aspiring judges to have hands-on experience.
A word on changing the Breed Standard. Recently there has been much discussion on various internet chat shows and amongst the Red and White fraternity on changing the Standard to include more definition on the coat and a height restriction. I would urge each and every one of you to be extremely careful before making changes. After all, the Standard is a series of guidelines and we, as breeders, are the guardians of those guidelines which are confirmed by our breeding selectively, and I mean selectively. We should only ever breed from the best with the future strength of the Breed uppermost in our mind. As we have been reminded by the Kennel Club in London, the Red and White is a vulnerable breed and I believe it is incumbent upon us all to be vigilant through our breeding pattern and our general support of the Breed. By way of illustrating the dangers of changing a Standard I give you the Golden Retriever head. In the 1980’s the Kennel Club in London requested that all Breed Standards should be tidied up, a bonanza for those who wanted to change things around. The original Breed Standard for the Golden Retriever head was that the ears should frame the head. The revised Standard said “the ears should be set on a level with the eye”. So we now often have apple top heads instead of the lovely head framed by well set ears.
In conclusion, I feel it is a privilege to own a Red and White. We can all enjoy them in which ever way we choose as they are so versatile and intelligent, be it as a companion, in the field, the show ring, in agility, as a Pat dog or a sheep dog - yes a sheep dog. I have just received a tape of a yearling I sent as a family pet to friends in the south of France who are sheep farmers. They also thought him so handsome that they entered him in a Championship Show there and won Best of Breed! So, how do you define a Red and White? You can’t! He’s a challenge. He’s friendly and happy, frustrating, intelligent, clever, inquisitive, a clown, loving, clumsy, exuberant, elegant, sensitive, and naughty, generous. He’s a unique personality and once you have shared your life with one no other Breed can replace him. We owe it to the Breed to bring them away from being vulnerable. We must never, never, let them be lost.
Thank you Mr Chairman. Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen.
Muriel Iles
Chairman
The Southern Society for Irish Red and White Setters