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"Yes
Virginia, there is a Mr. Fitzgerald" is a
standard joke that follows me around, even
to this day. But in truth, it was due to
my husband, Chip, that I became involved
in Gordon Setters
and why Woodsmoke exists today.
Chip and I currently live in a rural, slightly "'off the beaten path", northwestern
Connecticut town and we share our home with three Gordons, one aged yellow
lab, a French Bulldog, and an antiquated tom cat who is stone deaf, still purrs
like
a motorboat, and I insist must live forever. |
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My
children, Meg and Andrew, now live on their own.
Meg, and her daughter, Natalie, live a few miles
south of us, close to our old stomping grounds.
My son, who went to school in Vermont, now lives
and breathes Burlington, VT as a way of life.
Dogs were always an integral part of their lives,
and my granddaughter now plays the major role
of puppy raiser and junior dog handler.
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Well,
back to the beginning....
Although dogs were always in my life, it was my husband who was raised with
English Setters and bird hunting. After we were married, he often mentioned
a fellow
club member that hunted with a Gordon Setter. When we moved into our second
home in 1976, it was fate that our neighbors, also just moving in, were a young
couple
who owned Gordon Setters. Jean and Curt Lacy quickly became friends. When
Fathers Day rolled around that year, I bought a Gordon Setter from a litter
that the Lacys' dog had sired, as a surprise for my husband.
"Luke" came home, and it was a surprise all right. Within a few weeks, that
Fathers Day present quickly became my door into a world that has given me more
than
I could have ever imagined. |
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I
was soon introduced to the TarTan Gordon
Setter Club and its welcoming membership,
and was "volunteered" to work their field
trials. Karen Gatchell spirited Luke to
dog shows one weekend, put a major on him
and dared me to finish him. He soon became
"Ch Baer Claw Luke", earned his GSCA Working
Dog title (this was before AKC hunting
titles existed), and my fate was sealed
with this wonderful breed and the wonderful
people that I shared this love with.
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Susan
DeSilver, Muriel Clement, and their breeding
program were instrumental in my future
in Gordons, as well as cementing a friendship
that would last almost 30 years. It was
through their generosity that Ch Gordon
Hill Alabama Slammer JH WD came into our
lives and Woodsmoke Gordon Setters came
to be.
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Gordon
Setters, and the world that they opened
up for me, still play heavily in my life,
as my closest friends started as dog acquaintances.
I have served multiple terms on the GSCA
Board of Directors, as well as a term as
Vice President, and it was that experience
which allowed me to travel, and meet the
most diverse and eclectic group of people
imaginable. I currently serve as the TarTan
GSC Secretary, and still enjoy many "road
trips" with my fellow Gordon Setter devotees
and close friends.
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Always
remember what we believe here at Woodsmoke
. . . . .
" The more things change, the more they stay the same" |
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