August Litter Due?

Our Irish setter bitch FTCh Tiqun Ember came home today, at the end of her field trialling career and hopefully to her maternity kennel after again being mated with FTCh Coldcoats Corbally Boy. Steve and I met on the Newmarket bypass as he was travelling to Cambridge and over a cup of coffee we chatted about our long association  and the many dogs we have now shared together. He sent me a recent photo of himself with six field trial champions on leash, four of them having also been in the top two of the British Champion Stake in five consecutive years! He really is a master of his art and through our setters we have shared many good times. In the photo "Brochan" the dog we used is giving Ember a kiss with the whole scene being reminiscent of the well known photo of Jack Nash holding nine Field Trial Champions! Brochan is owned by Jack's niece and God daughter Mary and is a fine picture of Irish Setter as were bred in the 'Moanruad' kennel and which our pedigrees follow.

Over many years now a lot of our setters have spent their first few years with Steve Robinson in Northumberland and then come home for a change of career as they adapt from the gun to falcon, usually sparking them into a whole new enthusiasm and rejuvenation.

Of course it also means they have to adapt from the moors of the north to the lowlands of East Anglia, from grouse in heather to partridge, pheasant and snipe in rape and corn. And now as my old bitch Ruby finally nears the end of her life so Ember arrives - she already knows the new way of life since she was with us for January of the past game season, returning to Northumberland for the grouse counting and mating, all in anticipation of this momentum.

She then has to get used to the idea of working with our Cockers, I wonder how she will like that?