Upon his death, the New York Times ran an obitiuary in which he was called the “$10,000 hunting dog,” the Man O’ War of English Setters,” and the “national symbol of what was great in bird dogs.” His name was Count Noble, and he was a Llewellin Setter (a name given to a specific strain of working English Setter, but we leave this part to breed experts). He was so well known, in fact, that he was seldom entered at benched dog shows because other Setter owners complained about competing with the dog for prizes.
He lived from 1879 to 1891.
Count Noble was imported from the R. Ll. Purcell Llewellin kennel in England by David C. Sanborn who quickly saw a diamond in the rough.Count Noble soon became a stalwart of the breed known then as the “Field Trial Breed.” Sadly, Sadborn died while training dogs in Tennessee, andCount Noble was sent to Sanborn’s friend, Capt. Wilson. With Wilson, Count Noble was retired to hunting and becoming an icon of the breed.
As noted as Count Nobel was for his hunting ability and show ring presence, it was his ability to pass on his best traits to his offspring (called “prepotency”) that made him most famous.
Following his death, his body was preserved and displayed in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in a scene showing him hunting quail. The display was later moved to The National Bird Dog Museum in Tennessee.
In 2011, #AKC judge, Richard LeBeau, began an effort to raise $2,000 to establish a historical marker honoring Count Noble outside Osborne Elementary School, which stands on the site of Wilson’s former home. We don’t know if the fundraising was successful.
Image of Count Noble found on GunDog Forum and said to be from the Western New York Pointer and Setter Club site.