Sisters English Setters win at dog show

Two local English setters competed at the Beehive Cluster of dog shows in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 30-May 3.

Archer, as he is locally known, and Balen, his young nephew (Balen's mother is Archer's sister), both won at the event. Their owner, Jeff Spry, also attended the event. His handler, Larry Johnson of Colorado, who has shown all of Spry's dogs, put them through their paces during the competitions.

Spry wanted an English setter from the time he was seven. He grew up in a dog show world where his parents bred champion golden retrievers. Their dog, Sparky, was ranked the number-two golden retriever in the United States. But their family friends and neighbors bred English setters. He recalls visiting their house. They had dogs draped in front of the fireplace, over a footstool, on the couch. They were elegant sportsman's dogs.

Like all pedigrees, Archer and Balen have registered names. Archer, already a champion, signified by the Ch. in front of his name is Ch. Lorien Mothers Day Blues and Balen's is Lorien High Fly'n Lorenzo. Registered names are chosen by the breeder and have a theme for the litter. Both Archer and Balen are from the same breeder, and while Archer was born in 2000 and Balen in 2007, both were born on Mother's Day.

Spry, a screenwriter, likes to choose names that are distinctive and original. Archer is an old English surname as well as a first name. He was also a fan of Green Arrow, who was an archer in DC Comics. Balen was named after the knight, Sir Balen, written about by Algernon Charles Swinburne in 1896, nearly 40 years after the first show for English setters was held at Newcastle upon Tyne in 1859.

Now, 150 years after that first dog show, Balen had his first show, and won his second time in the ring. He was calm, behaved himself, and had a show attitude. The judge put Balen up over two other champions including his own uncle, Archer, and awarded him best of breed.

It is symbolic, Spry noted, that Balen won at the same show where Archer got his championship years ago. Archer won for his class at this event.

Judges are normally discouraged from putting up underclass or non-champion dogs over champions. It was a rare event, Spry reported, and a nice honor to be awarded best of breed over two champions.

The seven groups in a dog show based on type are working, herding, toy, terrier, non-sporting, hound and sporting. Setters are in the sporting group. Showmanship and hunting are bred into setters, but it is rare to have dual championships in both areas.

There are only 12 dual champions, and Archer and Balen have two of the 12 in their ancestries.

While many of the dogs no longer hunt, hunting is still bred into them. Spry explained that pedigree dogs, due to their breeding, don't need much training. They get to run and splash in the creek just like all dogs. In fact, setters need a lot of exercise. The only difference in their life is getting groomed for the big day.

"They are very athletic, have a depth of emotion and a regal, noble disposition," Spry said. "They love to be outdoors. They are very family oriented, and they have not been overbred. An often-heard quote is, 'the jewel of the animal kingdom is the setter's eye.'"