180 The Dog Book 
reared, and developed as other varieties are, the Irish setter would make 
its mark at our public trials? It.must not be forgotten that at one time the 
pointer was all but as much out of it as the Irish is now, but cash and brains 
were put into the business of pushing the pointer, and with success. The 
most ardent supporter of the present fashionable English setter for field 
trials could not ask for an opinion that he would not sooner accept than 
from Teasdale Buckell, the former henchman of Mr. Llewellyn and the 
exploiter of the Llewellyn setter, and they cannot therefore decry his published 
opinion to the following effect: ‘The Irish are tractable, easily broken, 
and fast, very fast. I never saw one with the pace of Dan, but as a breed 
there is none faster. They are exceedingly staunch, and you cannot look 
at them without their understanding you. There is no false point in the 
breed. They are exceedingly handsome, of a rich dark red, with more or 
less white.’ 
“Having disposed of the working section of the Irish setter, it is only 
proper to deal with his show qualities and record, and that I will do in a 
brief historical manner. The first class for Irish setters was made at 
Birmingham in 1860, and three years later Hutchinson’s Bob came out and 
won there as also at the monumental Cremorne fiasco and at Islington in 
1864. His likeness is given in an early edition of ‘Stonehenge.’ Bob 
was a field dog of well known merit. In 1867 Captain Allaway exhibited 
Shot, a dog considered so excellent in type and so handsome that he beat 
the Laverack setter Fred II. at a leading show for the setter cup. In 1871 
Ranger was shown by Captain Cooper and he did a lot of winning. He 
was by Bob out of a bitch of La Touche blood. A good deal has been said 
in the press that some of the La Touche setters were black or had black in 
their coats, but Colonel Milner, who knew well the setters of his country 
and has a reputation as a breeder of the Irish setter, wrote me some time 
ago: ‘It would be useless to tell Irish setter breeders here that the La 
Touche setters had a black strain in them.’ Colonel Milner also wrote as 
to the red and white setters: ‘There is and was at the same time as the 
reds, strains of red and white setters, and prizes are still offered at one 
show in Ireland for them. They look best when the red and white are about 
equal. I have never seen one so well shaped as the best reds. They are 
supposed to be as good in the field.’ It is not the red and white dog that 
has made the breed known world-wide, but the reds, and the Irish setter 
is now and always will be the red dog. 
