"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his
leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." ~
Unknown DeCoverly Spring
Newsletter
Hello again from DeCoverly Kennels and thanks for being on our mailing list. For any
new readers I’m Bill Sordoni and the author of our quarterly newsletter. This is our first newsletter of 2007, the year of the
100th anniversary of the Ryman line. Sir Roger DeCoverly, the sire of the Ryman line, was whelped in 1907. This
is a special year for us and we’re looking forward to sharing it with all of you.
Included in this issue are news, training tips, events we’ll be attending, and some fun
updates about our personal dogs and those of our owners. At the bottom of the page is a link to unsubscribe if you’d like to be
removed from our mailing list, as well as options to forward this to anyone you think might be interested. We hope you enjoy this letter
and as always look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at DeCoverly. News and Events
The new DeCoverlyKennels.com continues to receive praise from our customers and has even won two
awards. Late last year we won a bronze at the 2006 iNova 6th Annual International Competition for Excellence in Corporate
Websites. Early this year we won a silver Addy Award from the Greater Lehigh Valley Ad Club. Look for more updates and
additions throughout the year.
In October Ken and I were fortunate enough to be invited to film a live TV show on WVIA
called “State of Pennsylvania”. WVIA also filmed some footage of the kennel and of DeCoverly Setters working in the field.
The DVD of this hour long program is now available for sale on our online store.
The recent May/June issue of Shooting Sportsman magazine contains a wonderful article on the 100th anniversary
of the Ryman Setter.
Sculptor Maureen Riley recently completed a new piece using our very own Elwood as the
subject. Please click here and then scroll down to “Elwood - The Full Monty” to see her
wonderful art.
Without a doubt,
the biggest news of the year is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Ryman line. We’ve decided to
incorporate our celebration of this centennial into the annual Vintage Cup hosted by the Vintagers. We’ll
be at Vintagers from September 27th through the 30th, and our main focus will be Friday and Saturday September 28th
and 29th. Please hold those two dates if you are interested in joining us and please look for a separate forthcoming
email outlining details and plans for the event.  A trio of hot but happy DeCoverly Setters
Training
Tip - Heat Exhaustion
Now that the weather is getting
warmer, you need to be cautious when exercising your setter to prevent heat exhaustion. Knowing how to spot and treat heat
exhaustion can save your pet’s life. The first sign of heat exhaustion is an overly thick, curled up tongue along with
rapid breathing. The next progressive sign is if he is walking like he is intoxicated. If he experiences severe
wobbling and falling down he is in tremendous danger.
In terms of what you can do,
start by getting a hose and hosing him down from head to toe for two to five minutes. If a hose is not available, find a way to
get him wet and then put him in a cool car or lay him in the shade. Never get your dog wet and then put them in a crate as it will
turn into a sauna. Regardless of what happens you should always call your vet and let them help you through the
process.
Clipper and Caroline cuddling up (above), Clipper pointing a chukar at the
kennel.
Clipper's
Corner
It’s almost unbelievable, but next week is
Clipper’s third birthday. He is really starting to act his age and has become a very cuddly couch potato (as opposed to the
carpet chewing “itch” that he was in his youth). His new favorite pastimes include watching TV on the couch,
protecting the yard and house from all living creatures, and cleaning up the Cheerios that our daughter Caroline drops on the floor.
For anyone not having experienced an eleven month old eating Cheerios, their mouth-to-floor ratio is about fifty percent, much to
Clipper’s enjoyment. Little Caroline is fascinated with all things related to
Clipper. Just yesterday she spent the afternoon exploring the inside of his jowls. I don’t think he
enjoyed it very much but he was certainly a good sport about it all.
In hunting related news I have to take the blame for a
grand total of zero preserve trips this winter. We hunted grouse until the close of Pennsylvania’s season and
haven’t been out since. Overall we had a great season on wild birds with grouse numbers up nearly double over last year
(which was a bad year for certain). We did come across some woodcock last month on their way north for the summer and will
continue to get out in the woods every weekend for our health if nothing else.
Lastly, the hunting picture above was taken by our very
own Bridget Bodine. It turns out that she has a background and interest in photography. If you are interested
in a similar photo of your dog, especially if you’ll be up for a training visit, just let Bridget know and she can provide you with the
details of this service.
Owner Snapshot
We have a steady stream of letters and pictures from our
owners about their DeCoverly English Setters, and would love to hear from you. We’re also looking for pictures of any of
our dogs in paintings, news clips, and anything else you’d like to share. We recently received
this letter from Mike and Kathi Flock from Pennsylvania about their girl Shelby.
I just finished hunting for the year and Shelby, who just
turned three had another great year. She did very well and I continue to be impressed with her natural ability, her nose and her
staunchness prior to flush. I couldn't be happier with her. And, as we have said previously, she is a wonderful house dog and has
such a neat personality. What a great family member.
Attached are a few shots from today's hunting.
She had an excellent day and handled birds very well. Hope all is going well for you.
Best Wishes,
Mike & Kathi Flock |
