THE IRISH SETTER
NENA DEE
functions. I am excitedly awaiting my assignment to judge dogs and intersex at the 2016 Irish Setter Club of America national specialty in San Diego in early June. I have judged the national before in Ft. Worth in 2003 and had a ball with all those beautiful red dogs!
My husband Norbert and I have lived in Leesburg, Virginia for over 30 years. I enjoy spending time with my dogs, of course and family, especially the grand- kids. I also enjoy reading and learning about other breeds. I got my first Irish Setter in 1963 and showed until 2003 when I started judging Irish Setters and progressed to having the Sporting Group and now moving onto Toys. PETER A. FROST
1. Describe the breed in three words. ND: Balanced, elegant and substantial. PF: Handsome, extraverted and fun to live with.
2. What are the “must have” traits in this breed? ND: I must have a firm slightly sloping topline, deep chest with moderate forechest, balance front and rear, all com- ing together in an elegant silhouette with efficient side gait and good temperament PF: Correct structure, good temperament and a good head 3. Are there any traits in this breed you fear are becoming exaggerated? ND: For quite a while my concern was that the hindquarters were becoming exaggerated and the fronts did not match which was evident in their movement and exaggerated topline. PF: I think that there is a trend to breed for the extreme and we are seeing too many dogs that are heavily sculptured into a beautiful picture on the stack and then fall apart on the move. 4. Do you think the dogs you see in his breed are bet- ter now than when you first started judging? How has the breed changed? ND: I do think the dogs are better now than in the 70s. I find better balance today and a more elegant look. I am happy to say that the heads are going back to the classic long, lean, chiseled look with dark eyes and soft expressions. Heads are also showing better parallel planes of the skull, top of muzzle and underjaw. Although not a head breed, every breed has a distinct and different head. PF: I often hear people lamenting that the breed is not as good as it was years ago. I think that is because we remember the great dogs from the past and forget that there were others not so good. I believe that the top Irish of today are more glamorous than their predecessors but are equal to the top dogs of yesteryear. One thing that is important is that today’s breeders on the whole are much
I live in Melbourne, Australia and have recently retired after a career of teaching mathematics and classical stud- ies. Currently, I am acting as a volunteer for the St. Vincent De Paul Charity orga- nization. I grew up in family that always had a dog and started showing in 1972 after the purchase of my first Irish Setter. Since then I have owned both a Gordon and English Setter, but Irish have always
remained my true love. I began judging in the early 80s and am currently licensed for the Toy, Terrier, Gundog (Sporting), Hound, Herding (Working) and Utility (Working) groups. JUDITH ZAWIKOWSKI
My background in Irish Setters goes back to 1967 when I acquired my very first Irish. I bred my very first litter in 1970. I live in west-central Wisconsin and am currently semi-retired. I own a business quite near to me and dabble with that a bit. I was approved to judge Irish Setters by the AKC in 1997. I also judge All Breed Juniors. Since then,
I have added more breeds and am in the process of apply- ing for more. I have currently judged 23 Irish Setter special- ties across America and also many of the breeds at all-breed
318 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , D ECEMBER 2018
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