English Setters were first in many things:
The very first dog registered with the AKC, the owner of registration number one, was an English Setter named “Adonis” born in 1875.
Many consider the English Setter to be America’s oldest gundog;
The first ever recorded field trial in the United States was in 1884 near Memphis, Tennessee and its winner? An English Setter;
The first ever AKC licensed field trial was held in 1924 by the English Setter Association of America.
The AKC’s first President, James M. Taylor, was a setter man;
The first gun dog that ever attained a Dual Champion title was an English Setter named, “Countess” She was bred by Edward Laverack, who sold her to one Sam Lang, and he in turn passed her along to R. Purcell Llewellin in whose name she was entered in field trials.
It would not surprise us to learn that when Eliphalet Remington began to design and build a better flintlock rifle, he consulted an English Setter first. Just saying.
English Setter portrait by LA Shepard/thedoglover
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