05/02/2024
One of my earliest memories is of standing on my tip toes to look down into big cardboard box at a small white English Setter puppy. I followed that dog and my dad around every fall for the next decade chasing our native bobwhite quail. I was well hooked by the time I could carry a shotgun of my own, and it was the dogs that really did it.
I started breeding Setters in the late 1990s and learned a lot about what I wanted in a Setter and what I didn’t. I mostly hunted my Setters for the first several years in the Midwest, Idaho, and Kansas.
My first trial dog was RUCH (AKC FC) PINE STRAW KATYDID. Katie was from a cross of two legendary cover dogs (grouse dogs) Grand National Grouse Champion Chip’s Uncle Buzzzie and multiple CH Sky’s Blue Belle. Katie was awarded Runner Up Champion at the 2010 National Amateur Grouse Championship. The trial was held in Marienville, PA and drew 69 dogs. Katie was also an AKC Field Champion, and had both walking and horseback placements. Katie was an exceptional dog and appears in every one of our current dogs’ pedigree.
The second trial dog I had a part of was CH/RU Chip’s Charlie Brown. I co-owned Charlie with Steve “Chip” Chiappini. Charlie was out of CH Chip’s Torquato and CH Keystone’s Red Ryder. Charlie was an amazing grouse dog and showed just how good of a sire “Torque” was.
Seeing the high quality of bird dog that Chip’s Torquato produced, I bred him to Katie and kept two males that have both had a big impact: CH PINE STRAW BLACK HAWK and PINE STRAW SMUDGE.
CH (AKC FC) PINE STRAW BLACK HAWK started started his career like all of our dogs, learning to hunt wild birds first. After a derby season in the woods on grouse and woodcock, Hawk transitioned to AKC horseback trials. After winning enough to secure his AKC Field Champion Title, Hawk was moved to the American Field Open Horseback Shooting Dog circuit. During the 2015-2016 season Hawk had several important placements including winning the Northeastern Championship. Those wins earned him the 2015-2016 Elwin G Smith Open Shooting Dog Award for the top English Setter. Hawk has only been bred 2 times, the second litter was born in 2021 and those dogs are just now starting to realize their potential.
PINE STRAW SMUDGE started much the same as Hawk, but spent more time in NBHA walking trials and AKC trials, both walking and horseback. When Smudge was 3 1/2 I took him to live with Dale Ash as a co-owner. Smudge flourished as a grouse dog in Michigan, developing into the best grouse dog I’ve ever seen. An unfortunate bout with pneumonia left one of his lungs damaged too much to be able to compete in championship trials. Before he was retired from trialing, Smudge amassed 12 trial placements between American Field and AKC competitions. Smudge has proven to be a producer of top grouse dogs including most notably multiple Champion Rufus Del Fuego.
