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Returning To Our Roots
October 2017
Most of us with English Setters know that once upon a time, when our
great-grandparents were young, English Setters were a popular breed. They
were one of the first nine breeds accepted into the American Kennel Club
in 1884. Chances are, when you’ve had your dog at a dog show or been out
for a walk, you’ve encountered seniors who say something like, “I had one
of those dogs when I was a boy (or girl). We used to hunt all day….”
Sadly, public tastes change. More people live in cities today and fewer
people hunt. Sometimes we’re lucky if people don’t mistake our dogs for
“longhaired Dalmatians.” For years now AKC has been registering fewer than
1000 English Setters per year – a lot fewer. The situation is even worse
in the UK where our breed originated. The English Setter has been hovering
there with about 300 registrations per year, barely managing to stay off
the Most Vulnerable Native Breeds list most years.
If this was the entire story for English Setters today it would, indeed,
be a dismal picture. But it’s not the whole story and I think there are
some things we can do to make things better for the breed we love.
According to figures from 37 FCI countries, the English Setter was ranked
19th in popularity among all breeds worldwide in 2013. Seriously. I’m not
kidding. Some 29,771 English Setters were registered in these countries.
This does not include the Kennel Club in the UK or AKC numbers. It does
include Italy, which registered 14,510 English Setters in 2011; and
France, which registered 5,390 in 2015. (These are the most recent numbers
I could find in each country.) In fact, the English Setter has been the
most popular breed in Italy and one of the most popular breeds in France.
Most of us here in the United States have no idea of the popularity of our
breed in Europe. We’re used to feeling isolated with a breed that few
people recognize. But that’s not the case everywhere.
I’m told that many of the English Setters registered in France, Italy, and
other European countries are hunting dogs. They’re not the bench dogs or
“Laveracks” that we’re used to. However, there are plenty of show breeders
in these countries with beautiful dogs. Some American breeders have
already had wonderful results working with European breeders such as
Fairray Kennels, Blue Baltic, Setter Della Cruismany, Los Vitorones,
Fanchon and others.
Why do I mention the worldwide population of English Setters? Because we
need to be mindful of our breed’s genetic health and numbers are
important. These numbers don’t tell the entire story because a breed’s
total population is not the same as its effective population, but having
more dogs is certainly better than being on the verge of extinction. For
example, the worldwide population of Labrador Retrievers is vast. They are
the number one breed in many countries, along with the United States. But
their effective population size, or the number of dogs contributing
genetically to the breed, is estimated to be 114
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2390636/, at least in Great
Britain. Fewer than 100 is considered to be critical by conservation
biologists. Less than 50 and a breed is considered to be at serious risk
for the future. So, just because a breed has large numbers does not
guarantee their genetic health. The effective population size for English
Setters (in the UK) is about 29 and the number is probably similar for
American English Setters. The breed COI for 22 generations for UK and
American English Setters is about the same.
If we do have such a low effective population size, it would be wise to
think about where we could find other English Setters to increase it.
European English Setters are one source. From a genetic/health point of
view, even if most of the English Setters registered in Europe are hunting
dogs, that’s fine. We should also re-consider the English Setter field
dogs, handsome Rymans, and Llewellins here in the U.S. which most show
breeders have shied away from for decades. I’m not suggesting that we
should all start including these dogs in our breeding plans right away
but, when people start worrying about genetic diversity in English
Setters, I think they need to keep in mind that there is far more
diversity in the breed than they may realize. Some of these populations of
ES have been separated from each other since the days when Purcell
Llewellin* was still breeding dogs. These English Setters may go by
different names or be different “strains,” but if we reach the point where
we start to think our breed has lost too much diversity, we have places to
turn within the breed. Some other countries and their kennel clubs are
already considering this option for certain breeds with low genetic
diversity.
The same is true for many sporting breeds which had a show/field split in
the 20th century. Breed genetic health for the future could be improved by
returning to your breed’s roots and having a rapprochement with your field
family. Not that this would be easy. Many field breeders are dead set
against show dogs and show breeders. But if the health of our breeds is at
stake, we may need to work together.
I know I will be cursed by people who detest upright tails and who hate
the thought of ever breeding to field dogs but if it means keeping our
English Setters healthy and viable for the future, I think this is
something we need to consider, at least as a contingency plan.
Of course, the main problem for English Setters in the United States – and
for many other breeds – is that we are losing breeders. When you lose
breeders, you also lose dogs, litters, and puppies. That’s a big problem –
and a subject for another day.
*If you have read much about Mr. Llewellin’s breeding, you probably know
that he did not hesitate to cross his Laveracks with other hunting dogs in
his efforts to produce the kind of dogs he wanted. His most successful
dogs were the result of breeding from a dog that was half-Gordon. Other
sources reveal that he bred to Irish Setters and produced some beautiful
dogs. Many of his dogs can be found in our late 19th century/early 20th
century pedigrees. Llewellins that are 100 percent pure have been
registered by the Field Dog Stud Book (FDSB) for decades, making this a
very interesting source of genetic material for English Setter fanciers.
They are registered as a separate breed from the English Setter in that
registry. The fact that Mr. Llewellin was sometimes working with
outcrossed dogs should be taken into account by people trying to figure
genetic diversity in the English Setter.
Carlotta Cooper
English Setter Association of America
Greeneville TN
eshever@embarqmail.com
423 639-6195