LIVING WITH THE GORDON SETTER
By Colleen O’Brien
B eauty, brains and bird sense are key words that describe the Gor- don Setter. It is also the motto of the Gordon Setter Club of America. History suggests the existence of black and fallow setters as far back as the 16th cen- tury in Scotland and England. Th e Duke of Gordon is credited with establishing the breed with its present characteristics in the 1820s. George Blunt and Daniel Webster imported the breed to America in 1842, with the purchase of two dogs from the Duke of Gordon kennels, Rake and Rachael. Th ese dogs founded the breed in the United States, which the Ameri- can Kennel Club o ffi cially recognized in 1892. At one of the first organized dogs shows held in Mineola, NY back in Octo- ber of 1874 a Gordon Setter was awarded Best In Show. Gordons were initially bred as bird dogs, for hunting upland game birds such as pheasant and quail. As hunting
Photo: Chuck & Heidi, Olivia Moon. Moonsetter Gordon Setters.
“GORDON SETTERS ARE ALERT AND LIVELY, PLEASANT AND EXCEEDINGLY LOYAL. They tend to be devoted to members of their household, but are not overly friendly to strangers.”
companions, Gordons are frequently described as “personal hunting dogs,” with emphasis on the word personal, as they are a close working hunter and also breed to work heavy brush vs. the moors. Gor- dons thrive when they share both hearth and field with their masters. Th ey do not take well to being part of a kennel string.
Although the hunting instinct remains strong in the breed, Gordons are equally at home as companion dogs, obedience and agility competitors and show dogs. Gordon Setters are alert and lively, pleas- ant and exceedingly loyal. Th ey tend to be devoted to members of their household, but are not overly friendly to strangers.
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