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Deb and Skip Lawrence
We have had Irish setters since 1975, hiding the first puppy, Maggie, in our
apartment for three days before we could move into our house. We acquired Rocky
several years later. Over the next several decades, we had Tocky, Rocky II and
Jake. When Jake became very ill, and we lost him at 5 years old, it was soon
after that when I found our breeder, (the Wilson's in Lewiston NY)..and then the
story goes on..starting with Ian. And how our lives have changed !!!
Ian
(Touchstone’s Chills n Thrills TT, CGC)
Ian
(Touchstone’s Chills n Thrills TT, CGC) is nearing 8 years old already! He
loves to play with any kind of toy, but his favorite thing is to “Check things
out”….nothing gets past him! This past year of 2007, was a busy year for Ian.
He went to Basic obedience and was so well behaved & quick to learn, that he
went on to get both his ATTS and CGC certification. I think we will try the
Rally ring in 2008.
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Peter (CH Touchstone’s Fire and Ice, RN, CGC)
I am proud to announce that, with the encouragement of Coleen and Mary, I
started Rally Classes last winter. In 3 trials, we qualified for three legs and
now have earned a Rally Novice title…the very first accomplishment of putting a
title on a dog myself! Peter is the love of my life, very quiet and very
gentle, who loves to be loved. Peter had a great puppy career with 5 Best in
Sweeps, 7 Best opposite in Sweeps and 1 Best Puppy. Peter placed second in
12-18 sweeps at the Irish Setter Club of America National in Kentucky
2002. He finished his championship at 21 months with 3 majors, one from the Kentuckiana Specialty. With 1 BOB win, he no longer does conformation. Peter has
also earned his CGC in 2007. Peter is OFA good and PRA clear.
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Callie (Ch. Stoneypoint's Spell Breaker)
Callie (Ch. Stoneypoint's Spell Breaker), our Callie-girl! What a pleasant, happy,
easy-going little girl. As we drove to Illinios, 3 miles from St. Louis, I
wondered if we were getting in over our heads. We couldn't have been any more
wrong. Callie fit right in as if she was always here - what a perfect mix. She
rules the boys, they just don't realize who the real boss is! Callie was a tough
cookie in the show ring, at first. You never knew what little antic she would
pull! But after a lot of hard work by her "Auntie Coleen", she shows like a
pro! She waits her turn ringside with patience I never thought she would have.
Here, she learned that she is NOT the boss. Callie has been only been entered in shows occasionally. She did
place in her sweeps and regular classes at the Irish Setter Club of America
Nationals, Olympia WA in 2004. What fun that she is! Callie finished her
championship on May 29, 2006. From the fall of 2006 through spring of 2007,
Callie was in the Breed ring only occasionally. Winning 4 BOB titles, July 1,
2007 was our last show. She ended that day with going Group 3….. a FIRST for us
both! Thank you to
Coleen McGee for a wonderful career with Callie! Callie is OFA Good and
PRA clear.
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Claire (Courtwood Cobblestone)
Claire came to us as quite a surprise on November 10, 2007, at the age
of 10 weeks. She is very charming, VERY smart and is not afraid of
anything! Nothing gets past her. She is such a welcome addition to our
family. As the new year begins, we look forward to conformation classes
with Coleen and having another fun career with our new little girl! On
Claire's 6 month birthday, off we went to the Maryland Sporting Dog
Association Shows in LaPlata MD. At her first show, Claire placed a Major
Reserve, Best Puppy and a Puppy Sporting group 3 ! The following day, she
was also Best Puppy. Thank you, Coleen, for this exciting weekend!
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It’s been quite an exciting 6 months with Claire. We take her to very few
shows, averaging about one a month. For her second weekend out, we entered
her in Pittsburgh at WPKA for a “practice run” before heading off to Arizona
and the ISCA Nationals. At those two shows, she managed WB/BOW for her
first point, followed by RWB the following day. In April, we headed to
Arizona. The nationals are always a fun and social event. Claire made the
cuts, which is a pleasant accomplishment for a show of that size. At the
ISCAZ specialty following the national, Claire won her 6 – 9 puppy class of
11. That’s impressive as most of the lovely competition of the week were
still entered. Our own GTISC specialties followed in May. This was a show
we should have skipped….there was no time to spend to get Claire ready for
the weekend and she hadn’t been in a ring for almost two months, not even
for practice. This proved to be just too much to expect from an 8 month old
puppy. So, off to class again, before going to the ISCWNY specialty.
Claire won her class in both sweeps and regular classes. We stayed for the
Genesee Valley Kennel Club and supported entry, also winning her class. Our
next adventure was the ISCO shows. What an overwhelming weekend… at the
Saturday show, Claire went WB out of the 9 – 12 puppy class for a 5 point
major, then on to win Best Puppy. It was so nice to have so many friends
there to share in our joy, making the weekend very special.
For our most recent shows, we went to the ISCM
specialties in beautiful Belleville MI. On Saturday, Claire went Best in
Sweepstakes from a huge entry of 30 puppies!! If that wasn’t exciting
enough, she went on to go WB and BOW for her 2nd 5 point major!
(from the 12 – 18 month puppy class). This win was especially exciting as
two of Claire’s breeders were there to see it and be part of the
celebrating. It was so amazing!!!
I think it is still “sinking in” with Skip and I. We
are so blessed to have this beautiful little girl as part of our family. We
are very blessed to have a wonderful “dog family” out there to support,
encourage and to share it with us. We are certainly blessed to have
Coleen work hard to condition and prepare Claire for the ring to handle her
to these exciting accomplishments, and to be part of our family. The
future is definitely uncertain, and we sure don’t take for granted what we
have done so far. We will go off to shows and enjoy….and what happens,
happens. Life sure is a pleasant road for now….
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