
Breeders’ Resources
ESAA’s first sentence in our code of ethics is “To encourage and promote” the quality of the breeding of purebred English Setters and to do all possible to bring their natural qualities to perfection.
The vision of ESAA is to provide our membership with the resources needed to educate breeders on all topics to breed healthy and quality English Setters.
The value of this program is ESAA is COMMITTED to providing resources to creaing a solid future for our breed.
To educate and encourage our breeders to breed English Setters of the highest quality meeting the standard AKC has set for our breed.
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Ask our Breeders’ Team a question
ESAA Breeder Resource Team Question Guidelines
- Submission of questions and answers must be stated in a factual manner.
- No questions will be accepted if it includes a request, recommendation, personal opinion, references or referral.
- All will apply to answers as well.
- Some or all team members will have the ability to answer each question submitted. You can read the bios and select to ask an individual team member by privately messaging them or you can submit your questions to the team.
NOTE: All questions will be reviewed for appropriate content by a “moderator” before being published.
If there is a question or spam that is not appropriate it will not be published. The moderator will send it back to the creator for rephrasing or delete it all together.
Questions and answers will be cataloged and then moved into and held in the resource library. If you have questions about the BRT or are interested in becoming a BRT member, please reach out to Joan Savage or Jill Warren.
Breeder Resource Team
Breeder Resource Team
Criteria to be a member of the BRT.
Said Breeder must have the following:
- Breeder must be a member of ESAA in good standing for a minimum of 15 years.
- Breeder must have 15 years experience breeding litters
- Breeder must have whelped a minimum of 7 litters
- Breeder must have produced 25 champions
- Breeder must be an AKC Breeder of Merit
Joan Savage
Chairperson

Home of Stagedoor English Setters. Breeding since 1980. Breeder of Merit with AKC. I have bred over 100 champions, hunt test dogs, obedience and companion events. I am a veterinary technician and believe in breeding only sound, health tested dogs. I was awarded the 2008 AKC breeder of the year.
My standouts include multiple national specialty winners, multiple BIS and BISS winners, plus many more Group winning and placing dogs.
I am active in many clubs including ESAA, Portland KC, Tualatin KC, Dog Fanciers Assoc. of Oregon, the Puget Sound English Setter Club and am President of the Willamette Valley English Setter Fanciers.
I am approved to judge the Sporting group, junior showmanship and BIS. I have had the honor of judging Westminster and the AKC Royal Canine Championship show.
Jill Warren
Esthete English Setters

Jill Warren is a breeder-judge, breeding English Setters under the Esthete prefix. Jill strives for a complete dog with genetic health, type, beauty, brains, soundness, and trainability that can compete successfully in many different venues, including conformation, hunting, agility, obedience, and rally. The trademark English Setter temperament—gentle, affectionate, friendly— is very important to her.
Jill has bred Best in Show, specialty-winning (including the National), nationally ranked dogs over a breeding career that has spanned more than 30 years. She hasn’t bred frequently, only when she wants to add another dog to her home. If she sees a litter with potential for some traits she would like to add to her line, she doesn’t hesitate to buy a puppy. All her dogs live in the house as family members. She acquired her first English Setter in 1983 and bred her first litter in 1991.
Carol Ulrich

Owned dogs all my life but got my first English Setter from Diane Beal, Gold Rush English Setters in the early 80’s. I finished her and bred her to my second English Setter, Ch. Rogresta Lord Devereux. This produced several champions including an ESAA National Specialty Breed winner, an ESCC National Specialty Breed winner and the dam to my own breeder/owner/handled ESAA Futurity and National Specialty Best of Breed winner.
Our third litter produced 9 champions with multiple group and specialty winning dogs including our Futurity and ESAA Best of Breed winner owner handled. Fourth litter produced ESAA’s Best of Opp in Maturity along with several champions. Fifth litter is just turning a year and has so far produced the youngest English Setter to ever finish their championship, a champion with all specialty wins, and a girl with two specialty majors all before the age of 1.
I also owned, showed and bred Bearded Collies, with one litter producing all champions and several Best in Show and highly ranked dogs in the Top 2 of the breed, several shown by me. Some became ROMX resulting from their get. In all of the years, I have finished the championships of 23 English Setters, 24 Bearded Collies, one Long Haired Dachshund, one Irish Setter, and one Long Haired Chihuahua.
I have been the owner or breeder/owner handler for all of the dogs except when they were sent to Canada to finish their championships or when Bob took the lead on occasion.
My philosophy – breed only the best to the best and don’t breed for the purpose of making money.
Karen Kennedy

We obtained our first purebred dog, an Irish Setter, in 1970. He introduced us to dog shows through obedience. While at the shows, I began to watch the confirmation showing and decided I wanted a show dog. After watching different breeds, I decided I wanted an English Setter that I could show myself. We acquired a Shalimar Duke daughter out of a Stone Gables Bitch whom we named Shalimar Princess Splendor. I learned how to handle a dog in the show ring with Cricket. She had a lovely head and was very well put together and was the dog that formed my ideals for what an English Setter should be. While I did have a little help from a handler in finishing her, I put most of her points on her myself, and then I was off and running and never looked back.
Under the kennel name of Kelyric, I have bred or co-bred 90 champions, many of which I showed as breeder/owner/handler to their Championships, a few as far as Best In Show. Among the Kelyric dogs that I have bred besides Champions have been a National Specialty winner, Best in show and Best in Specialty winners, Dual Champions, obedience titlists, Agility titlists, Therapy dogs and not least of all, Family companions.
In my nearly 50 year involvement with English Setters, I have met many people all over the country who have become good friends and made many lasting and cherished memories.
Judi Hunter
Huntwood English Setters

My name is Judi Hunter and I have bred and shown English Setters under the Huntwood Kennel name since 1993. My husband Steve and I live in Minocqua, Wisconsin, presently with four English Setters of our own.
For almost 30 years, I have been a dedicated ESAA member and for many years I have volunteered as the ESAA North Central Vice President. I have bred many litters and have produced multiple AKC Champions. I am proud to have been distinguished as a “Breeder of Merit” with the AKC.
I breed dogs with purpose in mind so that my litters not only help to preserve the origin of the breed, but to insure a gentle and affectionate temperament. I make informed choices so that my breeding program helps to better the breed in the long run. The Official Breed Standard of the English Setter is my guide, and health screening is my top priority in producing healthy puppies that can be placed in either show or pet homes.
After whelping, I am committed to providing extensive time with each litter to not only insure each puppy’s viability, but to provide early socialization skills long before the pups leave for their forever homes.
The impact of early experiences have a lasting effect on the character and well-being of the puppies. Good behavior is learned from parents and I work diligently to impart good manners and potty training with the help of mom. As a breeder I feel it is my responsibility for shaping fit & joyful puppies that will satisfy their future homes.
Along my way, I have been privileged to meet many wonderful people who have served as mentors, cultivating my skills in the ring and in the field, and in my most important role, as a breeder.
I would like to extend the same consideration by imparting my knowledge and experience to anyone wanting to share in the wonderment of breeding our beloved English Setters. I welcome the opportunity to serve on the ESAA Breeder Resource Team.
Tammy Vann
Celestial English Setters

My name is Tammy Vann, I along with my husband Roger live in Williamsport, Maryland and have been involved with the English Setter breed since 2004. Our kennel name is Celestial English Setters and we are recognized as AKC Breeders Of Merit. Our goal is to produce English setters that are not only elegant and loving, but sound and free of all inheritable diseases.
All of our dogs have the required OFA-CHIC health clearances: Hips, Elbows and Thyroid. We only breed dogs that have passing OFA-CHIC clearances. We have successfully bred 10 litters, naturally, and by the way of surgical implants using both fresh and frozen semen. Our puppies are BAER hearing tested; get a veterinarian clean bill of health including vaccinations and microchipped; and are AKC registered before they leave for their forever family homes.
Sandi McCue
Indian Bend English Setters

My late husband, John, and I acquired our first English Setter in 1974 after owning and showing Irish Setters. After having an English Setter in our house we never looked back. We have bred and exhibited under the kennel name Indian Bend. Over the years we have not only been successful exhibiting and breeding many champions including several #1 English Setters. We were also active in both AKC field trials and hunting tests and bred the 3rd Dual Champion in our breed.
I became approved to judge English Setters and Junior Showmanship in 2001 and have been honored to judge both the ESAA National Specialty and twice judged the ESAA Futurity/Maturity. I also judge several other sporting breeds. I have worked as a veterinary technician since 1986 and for the past 13 years have been the practice manager for a veterinary hospital that focuses on fertility and reproduction.
Melissa Newman
Setter Ridge Kennel

Melissa has been competing in Confirmation, obedience, Field Trials, Hunt Tests and breeding English Setters since 1982.
Some Accomplishments: Winner of the first Sporting Group Breeder of the Year, given by the American Kennel Club. Breeder/Owner/Handled Best of Breed in both the Canadian and ESAA National Specialties, Owned, handled and trained the 8th and 12th Dual Champions as well as an Amateur Field Champion, all were Best In Specialty winners and two Group I winners as well as one was a Multi Best In Show and National Specialty winner. Breeder of Multiple High In Trial Dogs, and Master Hunters and over 240 American Champions and twelve All Breed Best In Show Dogs.
Rebecca Yuhasz Smith

Third generation breeder and exhibitor of English Setters, Rebecca Yuhasz Smith was raised in a family that has dedicated over 70 years cultivating and preserving the legacy of this breed. Rebecca’s Grandfather, Richard Frey was a past President of ESAA and her Grandmother, Nancy Frey was an AKC judge who founded the ESAA Futurity and was instrumental in helping to move English Setters into the age of OFA hip registry.
Her mother, Ann Yuhasz is a judge of the Sporting, Herding and Terrier Groups who has judged all over the world. Beginning in Juniors the moment she was eligible, Rebecca qualified for Westminster at the age of 10 and handled the majority of her family’s Hemlock Lane dogs from that point forward amassing an impressive amount of Specialty winners and AKC Champions throughout the years. She’s been whelping and raising puppies since her teens and by her late 20’s she took of the breeding program from her Mom as her mother segued from breeding to judging. A student of pedigrees, Rebecca believes in the fine balance between genotype and phenotype breeding, establishment of type and health clearances. By only breeding the very best stock can one move the needle forward.
Rebecca is also collaborative in pedigree development and in the early 2000’s she sent a bitch to England with Michael Gadsby of Afterglow Kennel fame and bred that bitch to the English Bournehouse kennel lines and reimported the bitch and a stud dog progeny back to Hemlock Lane. That sire has been instrumental in continuing to firmly establishing her breed health, litter size and consistent breed type.
For Rebecca, raising puppies and the pursuit of artistic and agricultural preservation of this breed is paramount and the challenge we face. She has also stood multiple stud dogs throughout the years that have greatly contributed to the breed. Mentorship from Master Breeders has always been a key part of Rebecca’s learning process and she loves continuing to learn and share her knowledge with others. She and her husband Derek have been very successful raising conformation in hand Percherons Draft Horses as well where she has relied on her understanding of pedigrees to preserve this endangered breed.
B.J. Parsons
BJ Setters

Dr. B.J. Parsons is a long time small animal veterinarian with a special interest in reproduction (theriogenology). She has been breeding English setters for over 40 years and has produced dogs with titles at both end of their names, including the first champion to earn a T.D. (Tracking Dog) title and the 17th Dual Champion (titled in both the show ring and the field) in the breed.
Although rarely campaigning a special, her dogs have won at the National level several times, including Best in Maturity, Best of Opposite Sex at the National Specialty, and Winners Dog at the National Specialty. She believes that we should keep the working ability in our show dogs and as such, we should breed toward the ideal standard of the English setter, breeding a moderate, athletic English setter.
Breeding Resources
Breeding Resources
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