Skip to main content

Irish Setter

Irish Setter
Now, I don't always write about animals that correspond to holidays, but with all the cool critters that come out of Ireland, I couldn't really resist.

Irish Setters are gorgeous red sporting dogs that were developed in Ireland during the 19th century. The term "Setter" actually first appears a few centuries earlier, but those dogs were more spaniel like. Modern Setters first appeared in the 1700s, and the characteristic redness of the Irish Setter popped up by the 1850s as an offshoot of the Red and White Setters.

Setter Pointing
Irish Setters are all purpose hunting dogs. They have great noses, great speed, and have the abilities to point, track, and retrieve. Keep in mind that that long silky coats of the Show dogs aren't usually present on the hunting dogs. Their hair is kept shorter in order to be more manageable in the field.

To own an Irish Setter you had better have enough time and energy to give it proper exercise. They are a high energy breed and need to have an outlet for that energy to remain well adjusted and happy. Irish Setters are also very playful, intelligent, and affectionate, and are easy to house-train.
Status : Domesticated
Location : Originated in Ireland
Size : Height up to 27in (69cm), Weight up to 70lbs (32kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae -- Genus : Canis -- Species : C. lupus -- Subspecies : C. l. familiaris
Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 5, 2012 at 10:48 AM

    We had an Irish setter for 13 years. His name was Micky. He was a joy to have around, was good with young children. As he aged he had the hip problems that many of this breed have. Although I know he hurt he was always gentle with the young children, and would lick them in the face when they became too playful. We had to make the choice when he was 13 to have him put down. This was one of our saddest days, it was losing a member of your family that you really loved. We lost Micky over 17 years ago, but our grandchildren still talk about their friend 'Micky' and how they loved him. He is buried in our backyard, and the kids still put flowers.
    Barbara

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Burmese Peacock

Polyplectron bicalcaratum Burmese Peacocks are also referred to as Grey Peacock-Pheasants, which is probably a more apt name, as they are not actually Peacocks... though they do belong to the same family. At any rate, they share some physical resemblances to Peacocks- most notably the eyes on their tail feathers. Burmese Peacocks are the national birds of Myanmar, which was called Burma until 1989, though some still refer to it as such. The birds live in several other Southeast Asian countries as well, and are divided into four subspecies. The species as a whole is listed as being of Least Concern , because they have a large range and population size. It unfortunately appears that they may be declining in number, but it is a slow descent that does not yet meet the vulnerability thresholds. The birds are listed under CITES Appendix II, because they can be kept in captivity and grabbing individuals from the wild could become problematic for the species. IUCN Stat...
3 comments
Read more

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more