BILL/KATE PUPS — AI Analysis

BILL/KATE PUPS is a female English Setter bred from ARKANSAS TRICKY DICK and STILLWATER KATE, and the pedigree reads like a practical hunter’s dog built on proven shooting-dog blood. The cross leans heavily on Shadow Oak Bo, Tricky Dick, Hytest, Tomoka, Tekoa, and Carolina/Tarheel stock, which tells you this is not an accidental pedigree. It is a linebred bird-dog family with repeated field influence, multiple champions, and a noticeable concentration of horseback and shooting-dog type names that have long been valued for run, bird sense, and competitive class. On paper, this female should appeal to hunters wanting an English Setter with style, enough range to handle wild birds, and the kind of inherited bird-finding instinct that tends to show up early when a pedigree is stacked this tightly around recognizable performers.

The English Setter is one of the classic upland bird dogs, prized for a high nose, elegant gait, natural point, and a temperament that usually balances drive with biddability. A good Setter covers ground with purpose instead of wasted motion, hunts with animation, and carries that smooth, floating look that old-time bird hunters still talk about with respect. In the field, the breed is known for handling grouse, quail, woodcock, prairie birds, and western upland work with equal heart when bred from strong field stock. This pedigree is firmly from the working side of the breed, not ornamental kennel breeding, and it reflects the kind of English Setter many hunters want today: athletic, bird-minded, stylish on point, and capable of both trial influence and honest gun-dog usefulness.

This pedigree tells a clear story of linebreeding around birds-first English Setter families that have been trusted by hunters and field trial folks for years. The sire side doubles down on Tricky Dick blood through TRICKY DICK OAK BO, CH TRICKY DICK TOO, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, CH TRICKY DICK SKYHAWK, CH TRICKY DICK NELLE, CH TRICKY DICK MIKE, and CH TRICKY DICK JIM. Layered into that is the hard influence of 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO and CH SHAK TI, both names that signal competitive ability and field quality. The dam side mirrors some of the same base through HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO and more SHAK TI and Sundrop Jill blood, while also bringing in Tomoka, Hytest, and Grouse Feather Mark influence through WEST OKS LUCY. When both halves of a pedigree keep circling back to the same families, it usually means the breeder knew exactly what type they were trying to hold: a strong-running Setter with bird sense, point, and enough class to suit serious hunters.

Based on the supplied six-generation pedigree, this female is linebred rather than loosely outcrossed. The estimated coefficient of inbreeding from the visible repeated ancestors is approximately 8% to 12%, with a practical midpoint estimate around 10%. That figure should be treated as an informed pedigree estimate, not a laboratory calculation, because some deeper common ancestors beyond the provided names are unknown and a few fields are blank. The concentration comes mainly from repeated appearances of SHADOW OAK BO, CH SHAK TI, RAY'S SUNDROP JILL, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, TRICKY DICK JILL, CH TRICKY DICK JIM, CASH MASTERS KELLY, COOTERS CAROLINA CASEY, MISS QUE, CH A TARHEEL SUNRISE, and AARONS LADY. Genetically, that kind of pedigree often increases predictability of type, style, and bird-dog instincts, but it also means a breeder should pay attention to overall vigor, gait, temperament consistency, and health testing before planning future matings. Without direct DNA health data, no specific disease status can be claimed, but with English Setters in general, prudent buyers and breeders should remain mindful of inherited concerns seen in the breed such as thyroid issues, hearing concerns in some lines, orthopedic soundness, and overall immune resilience.

The biggest hand on this pedigree belongs to the Shadow Oak Bo and Tricky Dick families. SHADOW OAK BO shows up as both 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO and HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO, and his influence is reinforced through repeated descendants on both top and bottom. That usually means nose, field sense, and the kind of competitive run that can separate an average dog from one that gets found at the front. The Tricky Dick side adds depth and density to the pedigree, giving this female a heavy dose of one recognizable family rather than a patchwork of unrelated dogs. CH SHAK TI and RAY'S SUNDROP JILL appear multiple times and likely contribute style, class, and field pattern. The Hytest and Tomoka blood on the dam side brings in more shooting-dog grit and bird work, while Tekoa blood through TEKOA MOUNTAIN LIZ and HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE adds old proven shooting-dog character. In short, the pedigree is built around athletic field English Setters with enough repeated winning ancestry to expect inherited purpose, not just pretty papers.

This is a notably champion-heavy working pedigree. Visible titled dogs include 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO, CH SHAK TI, CH TRICKY DICK TOO, CH A TARHEEL SUNRISE, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, CH TRICKY DICK SKYHAWK, CH TRICKY DICK NELLE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, 6X NSTRA CH SUE MAGGIE SUE, CH CAROLINA COOTER MAN, CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND, CH TRICKY DICK MIKE, CH HYTEST SKYHAWK, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, 11XCH ACES KING, 8X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN BIG RED, 2 X CH 2X RU-CH HYTEST SKY HAWK, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, 2X CH GROUSE FEATHER MARK, 9X NSTRA CH ANGIES DOCWOOD DOC, CH PANOVSKI BILLY BOY, 2X CH HIGH MARK, CH CASH MASTERS TORNADO, and CH TRICKY DICK JIM. Even allowing for title overlap and duplicate appearances, the pedigree shows a dense concentration of field-recognized performers. That much titled ancestry generally improves the odds of inherited trainability, run, style, and bird application, especially when the same families are repeated instead of appearing once and disappearing.

From a hunter’s standpoint, this female projects as a high-ceiling bird dog if the individual matches the paper. The pedigree suggests a dog with strong natural point, forward race, desire to hunt, and enough independence to search objectives without needing to be micromanaged every cast. The Shadow Oak Bo and Tomoka influence often point toward drive and bird sense, while the Tricky Dick concentration adds predictability and field identity. I would expect the best pups from this kind of breeding to start early on birds, show animation and style naturally, and mature into either a competitive shooting dog or a serious wild-bird companion depending on development and training. The caution with linebred performance pedigrees is that they can also produce dogs with more motor than an inexperienced handler wants, so placement matters. In the right hands, this kind of female could make a very useful quail, prairie, and mixed upland dog with plenty of class.

The key insight here is consistency. This is not a random English Setter pedigree; it is a purpose-built field pedigree centered on families that recur for a reason. Another important point is that the sire and dam sides complement each other by reinforcing Shadow Oak Bo and related field blood while still bringing in Tomoka, Hytest, Tekoa, and Carolina/Tarheel ingredients for breadth. For buyers, that usually means a better chance of getting a recognizable type of dog. For breeders, the pedigree offers both value and caution: value because the traits are likely to breed fairly true, caution because the linebreeding is real enough that the next mating should be selected with soundness, temperament, and genetic diversity in mind. For hunters researching English Setter blood, this is exactly the kind of pedigree that suggests field ability was the priority from top to bottom.

The pedigree contains several notable relatives by ancestry, including 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO, CH SHAK TI, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, CH TRICKY DICK JIM, CH HYTEST SKYHAWK, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, and 11XCH ACES KING. These are the sort of names that carry weight with people who have followed field English Setters and shooting-dog pedigrees. No verified full siblings, offspring, or famous produce records for BILL/KATE PUPS were provided in the supplied data, so those details remain unknown from this pedigree alone.

Given how concentrated this female is in Tricky Dick, Shadow Oak Bo, SHAK TI, and related Hytest/Tomoka family blood, a sensible outcross would usually be to an English Setter from strong proven field stock that is lighter on those same repeated names. Good practical outcross strategy would favor a line known for genetic vigor, good feet and gait, strong temperament, and bird application without doubling down too tightly on the same ancestors again. In broad terms, breeders often look to complementary grouse or all-age shooting-dog lines, or to proven field lines carrying less Tricky Dick saturation, when they want to preserve style and nose while opening the pedigree. The exact best outcross would depend on the individual female’s strengths and faults, especially range, maturity rate, cooperation, and physical structure.

If this female proves herself in the field and possesses sound structure, she has the kind of pedigree that can be useful in a breeding program because it is identifiable and coherent. The linebreeding means she may stamp a type, especially if she inherited the run, style, and bird sense these families are known for. I would not breed her blindly to another tightly concentrated Tricky Dick/Shadow Oak Bo dog unless the goal was very deliberate and the pair were exceptional in health and temperament. A better long-term breeding plan would often be to use a proven male from a compatible but less related field English Setter family, then evaluate the offspring for balance between independence, handle, and bird work. This is the sort of female that can be an asset in a serious hunting kennel if the breeder is disciplined and keeps selection focused on performance first.

BILL/KATE PUPS is a female English Setter bred the way a lot of bird hunters still like to see one bred: heavy on proven field blood, packed with recognizable shooting-dog names, and built around families that have earned their keep on birds. Sired by ARKANSAS TRICKY DICK and out of STILLWATER KATE, she carries a pedigree anchored by Shadow Oak Bo, the Tricky Dick family, SHAK TI, Hytest, Tomoka, and Tekoa influence. That is the kind of background that usually points toward a classy, forward bird dog with natural point, plenty of desire, and the kind of inherited bird sense that serious upland folks pay attention to. What stands out most is how tightly the pedigree holds to successful English Setter field stock. Shadow Oak Bo appears on both sides, and the Tricky Dick family runs deep, giving this female a linebred makeup that should produce consistency in type and hunting instinct. Add in Hytest Skyhawk, Tomokas Smokin Mike, Master Mohawk Mike, and Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, and you are looking at a pedigree with real performance roots, not just decoration on paper. The estimated coefficient of inbreeding is roughly 10%, which is enough to lock in traits but still calls for thoughtful selection if she is to be bred on. For hunters researching English Setter pedigrees, this female reads like a prospect for strong natural ability. The best dogs from this kind of cross are often stylish on point, animated in the field, and willing to hunt hard from the first cast to the last. She should be especially interesting to someone wanting a field-bred Setter with enough run for open country, enough nose for difficult birds, and enough brains to become a dependable gun dog with proper handling. In short, this is a pedigree with depth, purpose, and the kind of old field influence that still matters where birds and boot leather tell the truth.