Llewellin Setters Breeders Blog

I have written in the past expressing my views about Llewellin “blood lines” and their significance today. I feel that I must also say a word about the popular idea that if a breeder gets involved in breeding a certain breed of dog then his name gets to be in some way associated with the breed.

I refer to many writings I see on chat sites (which I never would participate in) and the like, as well as to the many people who e-mail and call me making reference to dogs which they attach the breeders name to.

Some examples would be “King Llewellins,” Humphrey Llewellins,” “Advie Llewellins,” even “Lynnhill Llewellins” and so on. This is of course total nonsense. There is no such thing. These dogs are Llewellin Setters. Period. (This same statement has also been attributed to Bernie Matthys of the Field Dog Stud Book in spite of his actions against Alfred King). You have no qualifications to add your name to the breed regardless of who you are. Of course you are free to register the dog with any name you please. However, just because you have registered or bred a hundred or even a thousand or more Llewellin Setters they remain Llewellin Setters going back to the work of the founders.

(Read on …)

The à Goës family is an old family located in Longueville, east of Brussels, Belgium. In many ways similar to the Humphrey family in England, they have been long associated with Falconry and members of the family had been servants of the Belgian Royal family in the capacity of Falconers.
Marie Thérèse went to England quite often when she was a young woman, especially right after the world war period. On these occasions she visited and stayed with William Humphrey and his family at Lake Cottage. She also was a friend of the then owner of Walcott Hall, Ronald Stevens. Ronald was perhaps the most important English falconers of his generation and also a well known author on the subject.

Marie Thérèse had acquired some special skills relative to the replacement of flight feathers in Falcons which are often shed in the heat of battle making the bird incapable of hunting. This made her very popular with the falconry fraternity and always a welcome visitor. She was a special favorite of William Humphrey who shared his knowledge of the Llewellin Setter and they often hunted together around the British Isles. Marie Thérèse became expert in her knowledge of the dogs and their use both to the gun and the falcon. It was then no surprise that William left a large part of his kennel to her upon his death and these dogs were taken to Belgium to establish the kennel which Marie named, “D’Hurlain Pré.” In French that means “The Meadows of Hurlain” which was the area adjacent to her home.

I visited many times with Mlle à Goës in the years before her death at age 84. She never married and always had devoted all of her energies to her dog breeding program. Many of her major customers were Italians—mostly aristocrats. This accounts for many of the Llewellin Setters in Italy today. Mlle was President of the English Setter Club of Belgium and a recognized authority on every aspect of the Setter breed. She actually had no love at all for Americans, convinced that we screwed up every breed of dog we ever touched. The dogs she actually sold to Americans were certainly not more than three or four. I am very pleased to say that I was one of them!

When we made the deal she told me, “Mr. Smith, I am not selling you a dog so you can make a name for yourself with him. You are not important! All that matters is the breed. You must promise to make him available to any well-bred Llewellin with good pedigree, good health, good personality and especially good bird dog abilities.” I have tried to do this up until the eventual death of Count Gladstone Wind’em D’Hurlain Pré.
I must say that on occasion my motives were questioned when I called breeders offering his services…So be it.

I have two fine sons of the Count in my kennel and his blood can now be found across the U.S.A., which is what we set out to do. This infusion will be working in favor of our breed for years to come.

Keith H. Smith