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The history of the Red & White Irish Setter, presumably, goes back to
the end of the 17th century. The fact that two Irish Setter breeds
existed, was not quite well known - outside of Ireland. However, we can
safely state that the Red & White had been bred earlier and the Red
version was further developed on purpose by breeders. By the end of the
19th century, the Red & White Setter was thrown into the background by
the Red ones to such an extent that breeders in the 1920s had to use all
possible efforts to revive the breed.
By
1944 a firm base population has been bred and the Red & Irish Setter
Club has been established. In spite of all this the Red & White Irish
Setter type was threatened by extinction for decades to come. Hence, The
Irish Kennel Club considered it necessary to develop a breeding
conception in 1970. The first Red & White Irish Setter was shown at
Cruft's in 1980 with great sensation. Since the 90s, they are shown at
all major European Dog Shows achieving good results. Those, who do not
know the type, would think that the breed is only popular due to its
beauty, by its aristocratic looks. However, this is only partial truth
for the smart look is coupled with excellent hunting abilities. The
breed can be trained easily and is very agile. It is able run rapidly
both on field and in marsh and it is tireless and steady. They look for
game birds (pheasant, partridge snipe) successfully. Nowadays, the Red &
White Irish Setter is a
rarity
in Hungary. Only three of them live here: the first (dog) came from
Italy, the second (bitch) from Germany and the third RUFUS (dog) came in
2002 from England and has been living with us since, as a member of our
family. |
