LLOYDS SHADOW TRAVELER [1781637492] — AI Analysis

LLOYDS SHADOW TRAVELER is a male English Setter bred from a cross that blends field-trial class, NSTRA toughness, and old setter shooting-dog blood. On the top side he comes through 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, a sire line carrying Carolina Cooter, Tarheel Sunrise, Smoke Rise, Hicks, Grouse Ridge, and Mosley influence. On the bottom side he traces to MACEY ANNS TROUBLE, bringing in a dense concentration of proven NSTRA producers such as 17X NSTRA CH RESAS TROUBLE MACE, 5X NSTRA CH BARBS TEKOA TROUBLE, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, and HOF CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise. The pedigree reads like a practical hunting dog pedigree first and a paper pedigree second, with repeated producers known for bird sense, application, foot, and enough handle to suit a gun dog man.

The English Setter is one of the classic bird dogs, built for grace in the field and a ground-covering gait that looks almost effortless when the dog is right. Good setters carry plenty of nose, natural point, and an easy way of moving through cover that makes a hunter want to keep watching. They are known for style, but the best ones are more than pretty; they are intelligent, biddable, and capable of hunting with purpose for long hours. In the field-bred English Setter, especially in pedigrees like this one, you usually look for a combination of reach, endurance, bird-finding instinct, and a mind that stays connected to the handler. This breed can produce everything from close-working foot-hunting dogs to bigger all-age type prospects, but this pedigree leans toward an athletic, competitive shooting-dog type with real hunt and enough trainability to be useful to a serious upland hunter.

This is the kind of setter pedigree that tells a story of breeders stacking what works in the bird field. The sire side carries a strong Southern field-trial flavor through Shadow Oak, Shak Ti, Carolina Cooter, Tarheel Sunrise, and older Smoke Rise and Hicks blood. That side suggests a dog with reach, class on point, and the kind of race that can roll through country without losing purpose. The dam side is tighter and more competition-shaped, anchored by Trouble Mace blood and repeated Tekoa influence. That usually means bird drive, intensity, and a practical pattern that can win and still make sense to a hunter. Put together, this cross looks like an effort to marry setter style and run with a heavy dose of proven NSTRA bird work and durability. It is the sort of mating that often produces a dog with enough nose and desire for wild birds, while still having the brains and structure to be finished for trials or a hard season behind a gun.

Based on the pedigree provided, the estimated coefficient of inbreeding is approximately 4.3% over the visible six-generation pedigree. That is a moderate level of linebreeding rather than a tight inbreeding pattern. The most meaningful contributors are repeated appearances of HOF CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, IM Oscar, 4XCH Brannigan, Barn Owl Wind, Miss Tekoa Hope, CH Cash Masters Tornado, Marvin Patrick, and Miss Torchy. Tekoa Mountain Sunrise appears multiple times through both the direct Trouble Mace branch and collateral maternal lines, making him one of the strongest concentration points in the pedigree. IM Oscar and his descendants also reinforce older setter bird-dog traits tied to nose, range, and field presence. From a practical breeder's view, this level of concentration is enough to help stamp type and working character without being so close that it automatically raises a red flag. It suggests some predictability in bird instinct, competitive desire, and gait, while still leaving room for individual variation in range, handling, and finish. No health-clearance data is included here, so inherited disease risk cannot be judged from pedigree alone; buyers would still want current health and performance information from the breeder.

The strongest ancestral pull in this pedigree comes from HOF CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise and the Trouble Mace family. Sunrise shows up as a true cornerstone and tends to be associated with class, bird sense, and the kind of natural forward application that field men respect. Trouble Mace blood often brings intensity, competitive drive, and a sharper edge around birds. On the sire side, CH Shak Ti and the Carolina Cooter/Tarheel Sunrise branches add field quality and old setter character, while Smoke Rise and Hicks blood hint at traditional shooting-dog stamina and style. Grouse Ridge names in the background reinforce proven field heritage, and Mosley influence tends to support toughness and practical performance. Altogether, the ancestry points toward a dog that should not need to be begged to hunt, and one that likely carries enough inherited point, nose, and animation to appeal to hunters who like a stylish dog with real purpose.

This pedigree is loaded with titled dogs for a hunting setter. The immediate sire is 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO. The dam's sire is 17X NSTRA CH RESAS TROUBLE MACE, and behind him sit 5X NSTRA CH BARBS TEKOA TROUBLE, 6X NSTRA CH SUE MAGGIE SUE, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, and 3X NSTRA CH SUE BILLIE SUE. The older field side includes CH SHAK TI, CH A TARHEEL SUNRISE, CH CAROLINA COOTER MAN, CH PINNACLE, CH SMOKE RISE BUCK, CH AMOS MOSLEY, CH GROUSE RIDGE LEROY, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, HOF THE PERFORMER, CH SEE JOHNNY RUN, 3XCH/2XR-U CH/GNG CH GROUSE RIDGE STORM, 2XCH/R-U CH/R-U GNG CH STARS MISTY GHOST, 4XCH/FTHF BOZEANNS MOSLEY, 11XCH ACES KING, 4XCH BRANNIGAN, CH TRICKY DICK JIM, CH CASH MASTERS TORNADO, and CH TYONEON BARNEY. In short, this is a title-heavy pedigree with both National and NSTRA credentials, backed by Hall of Fame dogs rather than a page full of anonymous names.

From a field standpoint, this dog's genetic makeup suggests above-average potential for a forward hunting pattern, natural bird drive, and enough style to stand out when he hits scent. I would expect good range for a walking hunter who likes a dog to hunt out front with purpose, but not necessarily a reckless all-age scattergun if the individual inherited the more cooperative side of the Trouble and Tekoa blood. The concentration of competitive setter and NSTRA stock points toward a dog that should have point, intensity, and a strong desire to stay in bird country. There is also enough old setter blood here to hint at endurance and efficient movement over a long day. If developed right, the best version of this pedigree could make a serious wild-bird shooting dog and a capable contender in walking trials or NSTRA-style venues. The likely strengths are nose, application, animation on game, and mental toughness. The most variable trait would probably be range and pace, since the pedigree contains both practical gun-dog influences and some harder-driving competition blood.

The first thing a hunter should notice is that this is not a soft pedigree. It is packed with dogs that were expected to find birds, not just look good standing in a yard. The second insight is the balance between old setter field blood on the sire side and concentrated Trouble Mace/Tekoa competition blood on the dam side. That combination often produces dogs with both eye appeal and real utility. Another important point is the moderate linebreeding around Tekoa Mountain Sunrise and related dogs, which gives this pedigree a fair amount of predictability without making it excessively close. For someone shopping for a pup or evaluating breeding value, this lineage suggests a dog likely suited for upland hunters who want style and run, but still need enough brains and handle to hunt wild birds honestly. It is also a pedigree that should interest breeders looking to preserve field setter qualities rather than drifting toward purely ornamental breeding.

The most notable relatives visible in the pedigree are 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, 17X NSTRA CH RESAS TROUBLE MACE, 5X NSTRA CH BARBS TEKOA TROUBLE, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, HOF HICKS RISING SUN, HOF THE PERFORMER, 3XCH/2XR-U CH/GNG CH GROUSE RIDGE STORM, and 4XCH/FTHF BOZEANNS MOSLEY. These are the kinds of names that give the pedigree credibility with field-dog people. No verified information on littermates, famous brothers or sisters, or recorded offspring of LLOYDS SHADOW TRAVELER was provided in the source material, so those details remain unknown from this pedigree alone.

On paper, a dog bred like this often crosses well on females carrying strong modern outcross field-setter blood with less direct Tekoa and Trouble Mace concentration. Good outcross candidates would generally be bitches from proven Grouse Ridge-derived but less duplicated branches, strong Miller-influenced English Setter field lines if available and performance-proven, or other hard hunting field setters carrying unrelated wild-bird producers with good handles and sound structure. The idea would be to keep the bird drive, style, and nose while opening the pedigree enough to preserve hybrid vigor and reduce over-concentration on the repeated Tekoa, Brannigan, and Oscar clusters. Any outcross should still be selected first on actual hunting performance, temperament, feet, and endurance rather than just a different name on paper.

As a breeding prospect, this dog's value would likely be in reinforcing bird desire, point, competitive heart, and classic field-setter character. Because the pedigree already carries moderate concentration in key old producers, I would avoid doubling back too tightly on Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, IM Oscar, or the Brannigan/Mac Kelly Patrick cluster unless the individual dog proved exceptional and physically sound. A smart breeding plan would use him on a female that is strong in conformation for field use, honest in the bird field, and genetically open enough to keep the next generation from getting too compressed. If he turned out to be biddable and naturally broke-minded, he could be especially useful in producing practical foot-hunting setters that still carry enough style and ambition to satisfy trial-minded owners.

LLOYDS SHADOW TRAVELER is a male English Setter bred the way a bird dog man likes to see one bred, with field champions close up and old proven hunting blood stacked behind them. Sired by 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO and out of MACEY ANNS TROUBLE, he blends setter style and reach with a heavy dose of Trouble Mace and Tekoa influence that has long been respected for bird sense, grit, and competitive drive. This is the kind of pedigree that suggests a dog built to hunt with purpose, carry himself right, and stay useful over a full season. The English Setter has always held a special place among upland hunters because a good one can cover ground with grace, handle game with style, and still remain a sensible partner. In this pedigree, that breed character is backed by real field credentials. Names like CH SHAK TI, CH A TARHEEL SUNRISE, CH CAROLINA COOTER MAN, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, 17X NSTRA CH RESAS TROUBLE MACE, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, and 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE are not there by accident. They point to generations of dogs selected for finding birds and doing it with class. From a genetic standpoint, the pedigree shows an estimated coefficient of inbreeding of about 4.3%, which puts it in a moderate and workable linebreeding range. The strongest concentration is around Tekoa Mountain Sunrise and several proven field producers behind him. That usually gives a breeder or buyer a little more confidence in what may come through consistently, especially in hunt, point, and overall field attitude. It is not so tight that it automatically raises concern, but it is close enough to show intention. For hunters researching this dog, the most likely performance picture is an athletic shooting dog with good range, strong bird drive, and the kind of nose and intensity that can make wild-bird hunting fun to watch. If the individual matched his paper, you would expect a dog with natural ambition, enough handle to develop, and a real chance to shine in both practical hunting and competitive walking venues. This pedigree does not read like a casual cross. It reads like a breeding made to produce a serious English Setter.