Ken and Linda Ruff started Brophy's Irish Setters in 1972 with the purchase of dogs bred by Tony Baron of Norab Kennels and a dog from Ed McIvor of Ivor Glen Kennels. An early cross between the two lines became the basis for their foundation stock. The Ivor Glen background has played the dominant role in their breeding program. Ken has always maintained that intelligence and natural pointing insti
nct were the two most significant traits in a field breeding program. Over the years, they have only bred dogs that have shown a stong hunting instinct, good trainability, and the loving and jovial personality that makes them Irish Setters. Ken feels breeders need to produce Irish Setters that hunters are proud to take afield and that also are capable of being maintained as housepets. Over the years he has owned, bred, trained and handled twenty-two Field and Amateur Field Champions and fourteen Irish Setter Club of America (ISCA) National or National Amateur Champions. Ruff first served as chairman of their National Championship in 1981. Since then he has chaired this event eight times. He is a past chairman of the ISCA's Field Advisory Committee and the Field Executive Committee. As an active ISCA board member since 1984, Mr. Ruff was serving as the club's first vice-president until January 2003. He is also a founding member of the ISCA Foundation and of the Blue Mountain Wildlife Association. In 2003, Ken won the AKC Lifetime Achievement Award for the Performance Class.
