EARL/ ____________ — AI Analysis

This female English Setter comes from a pedigree that blends old field-trial blood, proven shooting dog stock, and a fair amount of established setter families that hunters still recognize. On the top side, SHAGTIME EARL ties into Harbor City, Tekoa Mountain, Erin's, Smoke Rise, and Mohawk Mill influence. On the bottom side, the dam listed simply as FEMALE traces to Merritts Bear, A Tarheel Pretty Penny, Shadow Oak Bo, and more Smoke Rise and Grouse Ridge blood. Taken as a whole, this is the kind of pedigree that reads like a practical bird dog pedigree first and a paper pedigree second. It suggests a female likely bred for foot hunting range, bird sense, and enough style to satisfy a field-minded owner who still wants class on point.

The English Setter is one of the classic bird dogs for a reason. At its best, the breed carries a smooth, ground-covering gait, a naturally high level of cooperation, and the kind of bird sense that makes a hunter look smarter than he is. Good English Setters are known for intelligence, nose, and the ability to handle wild birds with a touch of style. Compared with some harder-driving pointing breeds, many field-bred setters bring a softer, more flowing way of hunting, yet the right pedigree can still produce plenty of race and ambition. For hunters, that often means a dog that can hunt all day, handle with ease, and remain pleasant in the kennel and around the house. This pedigree fits the field-bred side of the breed, where performance, endurance, and bird finding matter most.

Reading through this pedigree, you can see several generations of dogs that were built around producing usable gun dogs and competitive field stock. SHAGTIME EARL brings in HOT BLOODED and SHAMROCKS MISS GRACE, with deeper ties to HARBOR CITY HUMMER, CH ERINS HIDDEN SHAMROCK, SOUTHERN GRACE, and a strong run of Tekoa Mountain and Smoke Rise dogs behind them. The maternal side is rougher in record detail because the dam is listed only as FEMALE, but her side still shows a recognizable hunting pattern through MERRITTS BEAR, CH SMOKE RISE BUCK, CH MERRITTS PEARL, HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO, and SMOKE RISE KATTIE. What stands out is not just one famous name but the repetition of proven families. Smoke Rise appears again and again. Grouse Ridge shows up with purpose. Tekoa Mountain is woven through the upper side. That kind of repeated family influence usually means traits were being fixed deliberately rather than left to chance.

Based on the pedigree provided, this female shows moderate linebreeding rather than a close inbreeding pattern. There are repeated ancestors including CH SMOKE RISE BUCK, CH GROUSE RIDGE LEROY, CH GROUSE RIDGE REROY, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, LOOKOUT MONA, MOHAWK MILL CASSIE, YOU SEND ME, SALINA 1-8-31, and CH COMMANDERS CASEY JONES. Those repetitions suggest the breeder stack favored prepotent field lines known for bird work and consistency. Using the visible six-generation pedigree only, the estimated coefficient of inbreeding is approximately 6.25% to 8.50%, with a practical midpoint estimate near 7.1%. That figure should be treated as an informed pedigree estimate rather than a formal database calculation, especially because one branch contains incomplete and unnamed entries. Genetically, the pattern points toward concentration of field ability, nose, range control, and gait. The tradeoff with this kind of linebreeding is that strengths can be made more predictable, but so can weaknesses if they existed in the family. No direct health test data is supplied here, so this pedigree review cannot confirm inherited disease status. For breeding or purchase decisions, it would be wise to pair pedigree analysis with modern health screening, especially BAER hearing, thyroid, hips, and any kennel-specific history of autoimmune or seizure concerns seen in some setter families.

The strongest ancestral pull appears to come from the Smoke Rise, Grouse Ridge, and Tekoa Mountain families. CH SMOKE RISE BUCK appears multiple times and usually signals a line valued for bird dog function, competitive edge, and toughness in the field. CH GROUSE RIDGE LEROY and CH GROUSE RIDGE REROY bring another layer of old field setter influence, the kind that often shows up in dogs with useful application and enough grit to stay honest on wild birds. Tekoa Mountain blood, especially through HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE and CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN PATRIOT, tends to suggest range, class, and a recognizable trial-dog style. SHADOW OAK BO on the bottom side adds field credibility and likely contributes drive and hunting instinct. The Harbor City and Erin's names soften the picture a bit by adding polish and more traditional setter character. In plain hunter's terms, this is a pedigree built from dogs expected to go find birds, not wait around to be taught how.

There is a solid amount of titled influence in this pedigree, especially for a field-bred English Setter. Notable champion or high-honor dogs visible in the pedigree include CH ERINS HIDDEN SHAMROCK, CH RAVENWOOD RILEY, CH RIDGE CREEK CODY, CH BARBARO, CH THUMBS UP, 11X CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN PATRIOT, CH SMOKE RISE BUCK, CH CANT GO WRONG, CH GRID IRON, 4X CH B RANNIGAN or BRANNIGAN, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, CH GROUSE RIDGE REROY, 11XCH-R/U CH-FTHF TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, CH GROUSE RIDGE LEROY, CH COMMANDERS CASEY JONES, CH WRONG WAY, CH HAVELOCK BLACKSMITH, CH RAGGED HILL NIP, CH CRESCENT CITY DEXTER, CH MERRITTS PEARL, HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO, CH SHAK TI, CH BOBBY JOE, CH A TARHEEL SUNRISE, CH NEW HOPE, CH LONG GONE STOKELY, 4XCH 2XCH PINEKONE MAX JR, and CH FAIR PLAY. Depending on how duplicate appearances are counted, this is roughly 25 to 30 distinct titled ancestors with multiple repeated champion crosses. That gives the pedigree a strong competitive backbone and suggests more than casual selection pressure was involved.

From a hunting standpoint, this female looks like she should have the genetic foundation for a true bird dog. I would expect good natural forward patterning, a nose suited to upland work, and enough animation on game to please a serious setter man. The repeated Smoke Rise and Grouse Ridge influence hints at toughness, practical bird finding, and a dog that should not need to be carried through wild-bird country. Tekoa Mountain and Shadow Oak blood often bring reach, ambition, and some field-trial edge, so there may be more run here than in a purely close-working plantation setter. If trained with a fair hand, this female could reasonably project as a walking gun dog to horseback shooting dog type depending on how the individual matured. She may be especially suited for quail, woodcock, and grouse coverts where nose, intelligence, and handling matter just as much as speed. The pedigree suggests a dog that ought to point with style and hunt with purpose rather than simply cover ground.

The biggest takeaway is that this is a field-oriented English Setter pedigree with repeated linebreeding on respected bird dog families. That usually improves consistency, and consistency is what buyers should be looking for. Another important point is that the maternal side, though partly unnamed at the top, still carries recognizable substance through Merritts, Smoke Rise, Shadow Oak, and Tarheel breeding. This is not a random cross. It looks like a family-bred dog from a gene pool selected around bird work. The breed itself is prized for balance, and this pedigree reads like it may offer that balance between style and usefulness. For a buyer, the smart question is not whether there are enough famous names on paper. There are. The real question is whether the actual littermates and near relatives showed the kind of biddability, search, and bird finish these families are known to produce.

No direct record of famous full siblings, offspring, or produce for this exact female is provided in the supplied pedigree data. However, she is closely tied to notable ancestral stock including HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO, CH SMOKE RISE BUCK, CH GROUSE RIDGE LEROY, CH GROUSE RIDGE REROY, and 11X CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN PATRIOT. Those names are the kind of relatives pedigree researchers and hunters recognize because they helped shape field English Setter families. Without a direct database entry beyond the pedigree table, it is not possible to responsibly identify her famous brothers, sisters, or offspring by name.

On paper, a female bred this way could cross well on unrelated or lightly related English Setter lines that preserve bird sense and class without doubling too hard on Smoke Rise, Grouse Ridge, or Tekoa Mountain. Good outcross strategy would be to use a sire from a strong modern field family known for health, biddability, and natural application on wild birds, especially if he comes from distinct Elhew-influenced setter families, Blue Ridge-type setter stock, or other proven shooting dog families with less overlap in the immediate six generations. If the female herself proved to be bigger-running and high-powered, an outcross to a more medium-range, highly cooperative male could make sense. If she proved close and deliberate, then a clean outcross to a strong shooting dog sire with added range and independence could freshen the line without losing setter character.

This pedigree looks best suited for linebreeding decisions made with care, not blindly. Because so many useful ancestors repeat, this female could be valuable if she herself displays the traits these families are supposed to carry: bird sense, style, trainability, and field toughness. I would avoid doubling too tightly again on the same Smoke Rise and Grouse Ridge dogs unless the breeder had firsthand knowledge of the family and a very specific goal. A more sensible breeding plan would be to preserve the hunting brains and field style already concentrated here while bringing in fresh health and structural balance. In breeding terms, this is the sort of female you keep if she proves herself in the field. Paper alone should not make the decision, but the paper says she is worth a long look.

EARL/ ____________ is a field-bred female English Setter backed by a pedigree full of dogs that were bred to find birds and do it with style. Sired by SHAGTIME EARL and out of a female carrying Merritts, Tarheel, Shadow Oak, and Smoke Rise blood, she stands on a foundation that points straight toward practical hunting ability. The top side reaches into Harbor City, Erin's, Tekoa Mountain, and Mohawk Mill breeding, while the bottom side carries the hard-earned reputation of Smoke Rise Buck, Grouse Ridge stock, and Shadow Oak Bo. That kind of family history usually does not happen by accident. It comes from breeders stacking dogs that could handle birds, pressure, and country. For hunters researching English Setter pedigrees, this one has a lot to like. The breed is known for nose, grace, and a natural rhythm in the field that makes long days behind a dog feel easy. In a good setter, you get range without foolishness, style without emptiness, and a dog that wants to hunt with you instead of in spite of you. This female's pedigree suggests exactly that sort of promise. There is repeated influence from Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, Smoke Rise Buck, Grouse Ridge Leroy, and Grouse Ridge Reroy, along with a healthy number of champion and hall-of-fame dogs that gave these lines their staying power. The estimated coefficient of inbreeding from the visible pedigree is in the moderate range, around 7.1%, which suggests linebreeding meant to lock in field traits rather than a dangerously tight cross. That kind of breeding often produces more predictability in nose, run, pointing instinct, and overall bird dog character. From a performance standpoint, she looks like the kind of English Setter that could develop into a strong foot-hunting dog or shooting dog prospect with good bird sense, natural search, and enough style on point to turn heads. For anyone buying with an eye toward wild birds, competition, or future breeding potential, this is a pedigree worth studying the old-fashioned way: with the paper in one hand and the dog in the field.