TIOP TOP TILLEY — AI Analysis

TIOP TOP TILLEY is a female English Setter carrying a pedigree that blends hard-driving ruffed grouse and cover dog blood on the sire side with a more mixed, field-oriented setter background on the dam side. On paper, she looks like the kind of bitch a hunter studies twice, because the top half of the pedigree is stacked with proven winners and recognizable cover dog names, while the bottom half brings in additional bird sense, range control, and old setter character. This is the sort of breeding that often produces a practical hunting dog first, and if the individual got the right pieces from both sides, a dog with enough style and class to satisfy a serious foot hunter in grouse, woodcock, and pheasant country.

The English Setter has long been prized by hunters who want a bird dog with nose, class, and the kind of gait that eats up country without looking hurried. A good setter works with its head up, carries itself with style, and points with a natural ease that seems bred into the bones. In the field, the breed can range from close-working walking dogs to forward all-age types, but the best ones marry animation with judgment. For hunters, that means a dog that finds birds because it uses the wind correctly, handles objectives honestly, and stays useful instead of simply running big for the sake of it. Tilley’s pedigree reads like a classic example of American field English Setter breeding where bird-finding, intelligence, and handling sense matter as much as appearance.

Tilley’s story starts with a powerful sire line. Her father, 2X CH/2X RUCH Long Gone Nixon, is built on repeated doses of Grouse Ridge, Long Gone, Smoke Rise, and Stokely breeding, which is serious company for anyone who follows cover dog and grouse trial setters. Behind Nixon sit 5X CH/National Grouse Champion Grouse Ridge Reroy and 8X CH/4X RU CH Long Gone Agnes, giving the top side both title density and a heavy concentration of field-proven setter families. That side of the pedigree feels deliberate, not accidental. It was built by people breeding for bird dogs that could compete and still make a hunter smile on a bad-weather November day. The bottom side, through Miss Princess Patches, reaches into dogs like The Ice Man, HOF Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, Trails End Tomoka, Stillmeadows Jim, Pioneer Ghost, and Tyoneon Barney. That side may not be as title-heavy overall as the sire side, but it adds proven setter roots and broadens the genetic picture. Taken together, this pedigree suggests a female whose best chance is as a hunting setter with enough class, stamina, and instinct to be valuable in both breeding and the field.

Based on the pedigree provided, TIOP TOP TILLEY shows meaningful linebreeding but not an extreme concentration of the same immediate ancestors in the first four generations. The strongest repeated influence appears in the Long Gone, Grouse Ridge, and associated cover dog families on the sire side, especially through Long Gone Sam, Long Gone Stokely, Grouse Ridge Leroy, Bobby Joe, and Chicane-related breeding. There is also some recurrence of Kady Starlight and related setter stock deeper in the pedigree. From the information visible, an estimated coefficient of inbreeding is approximately 4.5% to 7.5%, with a reasonable midpoint estimate around 6.1%. That level suggests moderate linebreeding rather than close inbreeding. In practical terms, that usually means the pedigree is trying to lock in type and field traits without getting so tight that variability disappears. Genetically, this kind of structure often supports consistency in nose, style, and hunting instinct, while still leaving room for variation in range, trainability, and maturity rate. No direct health test results are provided in the pedigree itself, so inherited disease status cannot be confirmed from pedigree alone. As with any English Setter breeding prospect, prudent buyers and breeders would still want current health screening for hips, thyroid, hearing where relevant, and any kennel-specific issues before making a final breeding decision.

The strongest ancestral pull in Tilley’s pedigree comes from the classic cover dog families. Long Gone blood is everywhere in the top half and likely shapes a lot of what this bitch may be in the field: toughness, bird application, and the kind of mental grit needed for grouse woods work. Grouse Ridge influence, particularly through Leroy and Reroy, points toward bird sense, patterning in cover, and that polished, intelligent way good setters move through objectives. Smoke Rise blood often shows up in dogs with style and enough class to catch a judge’s eye without losing practicality. Stokely breeding has a reputation in many circles for contributing drive and competitive field character. On the dam side, Tekoa Mountain Sunrise brings Hall of Fame recognition and old setter quality, while Tomoka, Stillmeadows, Pioneer, and Tyoneon names suggest working setter heritage with a broader field foundation. If Tilley resembles her pedigree, she should not be a random package. She ought to come with inherited purpose.

This pedigree carries a strong concentration of titled dogs, especially through the sire line. Notable championship references include 2X CH/2X RUCH Long Gone Nixon, 5X CH/National Grouse Champion Grouse Ridge Reroy, 8X CH/4X RU CH Long Gone Agnes, 5X CH/3X Runner Up CH First Rate, 3X CH Stokelys Diablo Ginger, CH Bobby Joe, CH Pinnacle, CH Smoke Rise Buck, RU-CH Stokelys Diablo Ace, CH Long Gone Stokely, CH Amber, CH Grouse Ridge Leroy, CH Gypsys Clancy, CH The Performer, CH Susan's Lady Bird, CH Trails End Tomoka, CH Stillmeadows Jim, CH Pioneer Ghost, CH Tyoneon Barney, CH Tekoa Mountain Hope, CH Tomoka, CH Stokelys Diablo Jake, CH Heartbreaker, CH Royal Flag, CH Grouse Ridge John, CH Pleasant Valley Clyde, CH Pleasant Valley Liz, and CH The Pat Finder. Counting direct title-bearing names shown in the six-generation pedigree, there are well over 25 champion or runner-up champion designations present, with the densest concentration in the upper half. For a buyer, that matters because it suggests generations of selection under competitive pressure rather than casual, untested breeding.

From a hunter’s standpoint, Tilley’s best projected performance is as a foot-hunting English Setter with enough independence to hunt to the front, enough nose to handle hard-running birds, and enough inherited composure to stay useful in cover. The sire side strongly hints at grouse woods ability, where a dog needs brains more than flash. Those dogs have to sort out scent in leaf litter, shifting wind, and wild bird pressure, and the old cover dog families in this pedigree were built for exactly that. The dam side may help keep the package balanced by adding broader field blood and potentially a little more adaptability. I would expect the best version of this pedigree to produce a dog with medium to forward range, good pointing instinct, a high head in motion, and a natural desire to stay on birds. If she inherited the better Long Gone and Grouse Ridge traits cleanly, she could be a strong candidate for grouse, woodcock, and pheasants, especially for a hunter who wants class without sacrificing usefulness.

The big takeaway on Tilley is that the sire side is the engine of the pedigree. It carries the deepest concentration of proven cover dog and champion blood, and that is where the strongest predictability lies. The second insight is that this is not a one-dimensional pedigree. The dam side introduces different but still respectable setter families, which may help preserve genetic flexibility and keep the dog from being overly tight in one branch. Another important point is that this pedigree leans toward field function over fashion. There is title power here, but the names that matter most are names hunters and trialers respect because those dogs had to find birds under pressure. For buyers researching English Setter pedigrees, that usually means more than a pretty paper. Finally, as a brood bitch prospect, Tilley’s value would likely be highest if she herself showed strong bird work, sound nerves, and a natural handle, because the pedigree gives her a real chance to reproduce those qualities.

Within the pedigree, the most famous relatives are ancestors rather than known littermates or offspring documented in the information provided. Dogs that stand out include National Grouse Champion Grouse Ridge Reroy, Hall of Fame Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, Hall of Fame CH The Performer, CH Grouse Ridge Leroy, CH Bobby Joe, CH Smoke Rise Buck, and the highly repeated Long Gone and Stokely dogs that shaped many field setter pedigrees. No confirmed brothers, sisters, or offspring for TIOP TOP TILLEY are supplied in the pedigree data provided, so those remain unknown.

Given the concentration of Long Gone, Grouse Ridge, and Stokely influence on the sire side, a thoughtful outcross for Tilley would usually come from a proven English Setter line that offers strong wild-bird application and genetic distance without losing class. In practical breeding terms, good outcross candidates would likely be males from distinct Ryman-field crossover lines, certain modern wild-bird setter families with limited Long Gone concentration, or strong Tomoka/Tekoa-descending dogs that are not heavily doubled on the same Grouse Ridge and Long Gone ancestors already present here. The right outcross should preserve nose, style, and bird sense while reducing the chance of stacking the same popular sires too tightly. A breeder would want to avoid doubling too hard again on Long Gone Sam, Long Gone Stokely, Grouse Ridge Leroy, or closely related Chicane/Bobby Joe combinations unless the goal was very deliberate linebreeding and the individual dogs involved had already proven exceptional.

As a breeding prospect, Tilley looks like the kind of female you cross based on what she is in the field, not just what is on the paper, though the paper certainly gives you something to work with. If she turned out biddable, birdy, and sound, I would look to breed her to a male that keeps the nose and style but firms up whichever trait she lacked, whether that is range, finish on game, cooperation, or maturity. Because the sire side is already so concentrated and powerful, there is no need to chase more of the same just because the names are familiar. The best breeding move would likely be a male from a complementary field setter family with strong health credentials, proven wild-bird performance, and enough genetic separation to keep the pups vigorous. If she were especially strong in grouse cover, an outcross to a disciplined prairie or all-age-bred setter that still handles kindly could be very interesting. If she were more open-country in style, then a tighter, woods-savvy male from a different branch of setter blood could make a very practical cross.

TIOP TOP TILLEY is a female English Setter with the kind of pedigree that catches a hunter’s attention for all the right reasons. Sired by 2X CH/2X RUCH Long Gone Nixon and out of Miss Princess Patches, she carries a deep blend of Long Gone, Grouse Ridge, Smoke Rise, Stokely, and old setter blood that points toward a serious bird dog background. The top side of her pedigree is especially rich in proven cover dog and champion influence, anchored by names like National Grouse Champion Grouse Ridge Reroy, Long Gone Agnes, Grouse Ridge Leroy, Bobby Joe, Smoke Rise Buck, and Stokely-bred winners that have left a mark on field English Setter breeding. On the bottom side, dogs such as The Ice Man, Hall of Fame Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, Trails End Tomoka, Stillmeadows Jim, and Pioneer Ghost add more depth and broaden the foundation. For hunters researching English Setter pedigrees, Tilley reads like a bitch bred for purpose. This is not a random collection of names. It is a pedigree shaped by people who valued bird work, style, intelligence, and the kind of grit a setter needs when the birds are wild and the cover is honest. With an estimated coefficient of inbreeding around 6.1%, the pedigree shows moderate linebreeding that should help maintain recognizable type without being excessively tight. That balance often gives a breeder something valuable: predictability without making the dog genetically narrow. If she inherited the best traits behind her, Tilley’s likely performance potential would be as a classy, forward, highly useful hunting setter suited to grouse, woodcock, and pheasant work. The strongest ancestral influence comes from the Long Gone and Grouse Ridge branches, and those are families known for bird sense, field savvy, and a style of hunting that appeals to folks who like a setter with brains as much as beauty. As a brood bitch, her pedigree suggests real promise, especially when matched to a male that offers proven health, wild-bird performance, and an outcrossed but compatible setter background. For anyone looking into English Setter bloodlines with genuine field depth, TIOP TOP TILLEY is a pedigree worth knowing.