Welcome to 2024

 

 

 June 2024

I have some very exciting news  … Erinshire Irish Setters is re-locating to Florida. Details in a few weeks….. We do not have any puppies available at this time and will not have a litter until late this year……

December 2023

well it almost gone…..another year!

Thank you for all the interest in the puppies that were from my breeder friend, all have been placed in their forever homes.

HOWEVER, just a day or so ago, we got a phone call from a family member calling about her parents who purchased a male puppy from us from our 2014 litter.  The situation has become difficult for her parents to continue to care for the male dog, Kerry.  They have some serious health issues that require nursing care now and will not be able to continue to care for Kerry.  They regret that the only solution is to find a home that could provide a love and care for this very healthy boy who is in excellent health and still very active at 9.5 yrs.  He has been raised in the country, with horses, he has attended doggy daycare and gets along with all other dogs.  He has been to his groomer on a reqular basis and will receive a vet certificate of health before placement.

It’s not easy to find a home for an older dog, but if you are experienced with the breed and have raised Irish Setters, and you would like to provide this lovely boy a forever home, please email me or give us a phone call asap, and we will get Kerry re-homed and settled as soon as possible.  I know the family will appreciate your care for their beloved dog and so will we, I will work through the details of placement with you and provide what support we can….. thank you

 

LOOKING FOR A PUPPY??

NEWS:  There is a litter of puppies that a dear friend and mentor has available 4 males and 4 females from a wonderful breeding.  We are assisting her in puppy applications and placements to their forever homes.  If interested email me asap, puppies were whelped July 4 and will be ready for placement early September.  The process to purchase is the same as we do at Erinshire, with approval of application, a deposit to hold puppy is required and final payment is due when puppy is delivered.  These puppies are in the New England area, and we highly recommend this breeder and her 50 plus yrs with irish setters and top show dogs in the country.  If interested pls. contact me via email and I will get an application out to you.  Brenda

 

 

    We have found the perfect forever home for our puppy that was available, and he will be leaving us very shortly.  Thank you for all those who were interested in this boy and it was a difficult choice, always is.  Just an update on the breeding of Shannon did not produce puppies, so we will wait until Paige decides to come into season, most likely in the fall, and we most likely attempt one last breeding of Shannon, we are hoping for a male puppy from that breeding. 

April 2023

It’s been busy with all aspects of running the kennel.  We by-passed breeding Paige in November due to family issues and the timing would have been difficult to manage a litter.  So in early March Shannon came into season, her last breeding since she will turn 6 in June, and decided we could breed and see what happens, as i sit here writing this we are waiting for her xrays later this week.

Another announcement is that we have decided to offer a male puppy 2.5 yrs that we were going to keep for our breeding program and have decided that he is better placed in a home of his own, with his own family to spoil him.  He is in excellent health, all vaccines up to date, crate trained and basic obedience classes completed.  He is wonderful on leash, and great with kids but would prefer in a home that has no other dogs, cats are fine.  He has been neutered before placement to limit breeding.  He will come with a health certificate, is microchipped and has all his AKC papers filed and can be changed to new owners when placed.  He is about 65 lbs and still growing but will not be a really big irish, and at 2.5 years old he is ready to join his forever family. We are looking for an exceptional family that has a wide experience with the breed and that can offer consistency and strong leadership, he requires to become a happy member of the family.   Anyone interested in this exceptional boy to join your family, alot of the puppy training has been done and is ready to settle in with the right family, please call or email me.  brenda@erinshireirishsetters.com or Bpierhal@aol.com and we can talk about his future.

 

 

 

A LITTER ARRIVED FEBRUARY 14, 2022 

Details on the litter announcement page

 

 

 

                                         A little about Us:

Brenda and Lee (Leon) Pierhal own and operate Erinshire Irish Setters LLC. We have a home with over 145 acres in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, here we operate our kennel business in the town of Wentworth (just northwest of Plymouth).  We also keep a home in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, where we are 5 miles from the ocean and beaches, a favorite of all the dogs.  We travel between the two locations throughout the year.  Brenda works “full time” in the kennel and Lee, now semi-retired consults on all the business and financial aspects in building our  kennel business.  Brenda has been involved with Irish Setters since 1977, develops the breeding program, grooms, shows and trains all of the dogs. She reviews applicants and potential placements for our puppies, providing support to families for the lifetime of those puppies.  We, for more than 15 years, are members of the Irish Setter Club of America and the Irish Setter Club of New England.  All our puppies are Reg’d. with the American Kennel Club before they leave our kennel. They are crate trained and potty trained for outdoors before they move to their forever homes.  We believe that to achieve the highest standards possible, that every puppy we breed has their DNA on record with the AKC to authenticate their parentage and breeding and believe this should be the standard set by the AKC, hopefully one day it will.

We both participate in the daily work in keeping up the kennel, we presently as of June 2017, have five Irish Setters in our home.  All of our dogs are house dogs, and very well trained.  Irish Setters are very intelligent dogs but require “positive” training techniques and plenty of exercise. When they are young, they need to experience plenty of socialization, obedience training and consistency in order to develop into well behaved members of the family.  They are constantly entertaining, and love to be with their humans, they live for attention, and companionship. Over the past 44 years we have had the pleasure of sharing our lives with the Irish Setters we have raised and loved, Kahlua, Erin, Ryan, Sean, Shamus, Reagan, Erin II, Eloise, Eliott, Scarlett, Jack, Connor, Caitlin, Shannon, Paige and Ryan and each of them with wonderful and uniquely different personalities. 

UPDATE:  New to the pack, on June 16, 2017, Shannon was born to Catie and Eliott breeding…..there are pictures of her on the Litter tab……she is holding her own and thinks she can run with the big dogs…. someday soon.  AS of December 2018, we lost Scarlett to cancer and in March 2019, Paige joined our kennel from Captiva Irish Setters in Ontario, and a puppy from our breeding of Shannon and Connor, Ryan was chosen to stay with us. This brings us to 5 Irish Setters running the house.

 

History……..a long time ago in not so far away land…….

Erinshire Irish Setters began in 1977, in a small town in Ontario, Canada, when I bought my first Irish Setter from Killane Kennels (John and Muriel Royston) in Ontario.  She was called Kahula and was my first irish setter.  I had no idea that the love of this breed was going to take me on a journey that has lasted for more than 40 years..

In 1978, my next Irish came from Armagh Kennels (Peter and Patricia Hempstead) in Beeton, Ontario. A lovely bitch Erin, Erinshire’s Emerald Lace.  Another Irish in 1979 also from Armagh,  joined the kennel, a male Ryan, a stunning boy with a head piece unmatched.  He was sired by Am & Can.Ch. Starheir’s Aaron Ardee, (owned by Hugh and Virginia Rumbaugh) a top winning Irish Setter in the United States through the 1970’s.

It would be almost 8 years, and a relocation from Ontario to New Hampshire, that another Irish would join the Erinshire Kennel.  In 1994, Lee and I purchased Sean, “Blazing Sean O’Boy of Erinshire”.  He was “our pet”, but probably the smartest Irish of them all.  He was our constant companion and Lee’s introduction to Irish Setters.  He was a handful as a puppy and spoiled by both of us, when Lee travelled on business he was always beside me …..and the keeping me company, we went everywhere together…..  The following year 1995, Lee’s job required a move to North Kingstown, Rhode Island.  We bulit a new home, and Sean was the center of everything, he loved the ocean and even the boat. …. It was 6 years later, we decided that we needed another Irish Setter, two is better than one…..so we decided on a male and Shamus, joined us in September 2001.

Shamus Murphy:  CH. Piperbrook’s American Pride

He was sold to us as a pet but was exceptional, and definitely show quality. He became known as CH. Piperbrook’s American Pride. Shamus was shown by his breeders through 2005-06. Shamus Murphy had two names because he was such a big Irish, big boned and soft expression, he and Sean got along beautifully and were always side by side….. Sean showed him “the ropes” and they did everything together.  When we lost Sean, just before Christmas in 2003, Shamus, was the only dog in the house and very spoiled.  It was a difficult time, but we all got past it…. In late 2005 Shamus, showed very little interest in going to shows, and would rather stay at home.  He would not eat on the road, and we decided that he didn’t have to be a show dog, so he stopped going with his breeders to dog shows.  In 2007, almost two years later, that Brenda decided if he only need one point, and it is close to home, that she would take Shamus to a show in Conn. to hopefully win a single point to finish his AKC championship, Brenda showed him for that last point and won Winners Dog and finished his title. It was the first time she had been in the show ring in more than 25 years…..and it would be 10 years later, when she would show a dog from  Erinshire Irish Setters, (from our first litter), our Best In Show dog, Eliott, at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in NYC in February 2015 & 2016, (more on Eliott’s page).

Reagan: CH. Piperbrook’s Forever A Star…….

In 2004, on Memorial Day, while at a dog show, Lee surprised Brenda with an early birthday gift, a puppy from Piperbrook Setters, we called Reagan.  He became Am.Ch. Piperbrook’s Forever A Star.  He was a half brother to Shamus, and finished his Championship with all majors. His first weekend out showing, in Wisconsin, the first show was a Specialty, he won Best of Winners, and 5 points. Then followed up with back to back 4 pts wins. That was 13 points in 3 shows. (AKC Championship requires 15 points). He finished under Judge Robert Fortsyth for his last 4 pt. major. Reagan, was a stunning Irish Setter, with a very dark mahogany coat, that he passed on to his puppies, as well as his soft personality, and his funny smile.  When we lost him, to cancer in August 2013, I thought I would never have another Irish Setter that would own my heart the way he did.  If we were on the road to shows and he was always with me, he was a companion to all his puppies, and watched over them, always loyal, compassionate and most loving dog I had ever owned.  Those were really big paws to fill some day.

 

Eloise:  CH. Beaubriar’s Premeire Event……

Erinshire Irish Setters, became the very proud owners, and provided the financial backing for the “campaign” of our exquisite and beautiful girl, CH. Beaubriar’s Premeire Event.   Eloise was an outstanding bitch with an incredible attitude and love for the show ring like I have never seen before. She was campaigned throughout 2008 and 2009.  In 2008 she was the number 1 Irish Setter in the United States, Number 6 Sporting Dog in the country.  Her achievements include, 7 Best In Shows, 39 Best In Specialty Shows, also winning twice the Award of Merit at the 2008 &2009 Irish Setter National Specialty and twice Award of Merit at the NYC Westminster Kennel Club also in 2008 & 2009.

Establishing Erinshire Irish Setters…….

After owning the number 1 Irish Setter in the country, we thought it was time to get serious about breeding and showing our own dogs with the Erinshire name. Brenda had been planning this for more than a year and knew it would require a breeding program to produce the type of Irish Setter that she had always loved, a traditional type, in head piece and with heavy bone, with a dark coat, that looks like a sporting dog. Reagan’s qualities and his pedigree would decide where the breeding program would go.  Reagan was sired by Ch. Waterford Show-Off.  In 2004, he won Best Of Breed at the (National) Irish Setter Club of America.  His sire went back to Canadian bloodlines from Tealwood Irish Setters, Dave Carey, a kennel Brenda was familiar with back in the 1970’s. After a lot of re-searching for the right bitch to add to this pedigree and re-thinking, Brenda, chose a bitch from Orchard Farm Kennel (Reg’d) in Ontario. A kennel that had been breeding Irish Setters since 1938.  Meeting up with Mary Klinck owner of Orchard Farm, at a specialty show in Michigan, she had a female available to a show home, and she was already named Erin! This breeding was a blend of American bloodlines from the Mid-west and Ontario bloodlines, the litter was co-bred with Debra Davis and Mary Klink.  In September 2007, Erin, Orchard Farm Lace to Erinshire, joined the family, and would eventually be bred to Reagan. This was the last litter from Orchard Farms, as Mary passed away shortly after. Both dogs have American and Canadian bloodlines and would produce our first litter under the Erinshire Kennel name. A wonderful litter was produced in 2010. (Pedigrees are posted on each dog’s page)

And so, it began…….on Easter Sunday, April 04, 2010, the FOREVER litter was whelped, 6 males and 6 females, the dirty dozen as they were also called!  From that litter, a male and a female stayed, all the other puppies were sold to pet homes. Eliott and Scarlett were the puppies that would be our first “home bred” Champions for Erinshire Irish Setters.   With a very strong focus on health issues in the breed, following the classic line breeding philosophy of pedigrees, we produced, the Forever Litter,(because it took 3 years to wait to breed Erin to Reagan), and produce our first Erinshire Litter, and had no idea that one puppy, the male we picked to keep, Eliott, would be our first Best In Show dog, from that first litter.

Eliott finish his American championship in 2014 with all Majors. This puppy grew up in the shadow of his sire, I constantly saw the traits that I had loved so much in Reagan.  This is the dog that not only filled those paws but exceeded all my dreams…..  In May 2015, I took him to Ontario, to achieve his Canadian Championship, he finished in 7 shows with 2 Sporting Group Firsts and the day he finished with his last point for his Championship he also went Best In Show!!!!  (Thank you Jill).  In August 2015, I showed Eliott at the Canadian National Irish Setter Show, he took the Select Dog, and Select Dog in an other Specialty show, and again, Select Dog in an all-breed show, all in one weekend. (Select dog is awarded after the Judge has awarded the Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex to the Breed, the judge continues to pick a Select male and female to his/her choices and then the Award of Merit is awarded by the judge.  He is truly the best ambassador for the bred…. everybody who meets him wants to take him home. He is pretty much retired from showing at this time, he will be in the Veteran class when is 8 yrs. and until then he will achieve his CGC title and work as a therapy dog, with the elderly and children.  He is the best boy ever, and he knows it…..

Scarlett, was shown as a puppy by Brenda.  By June of 2013 it came time to get her AKC championship before breeding her, we decided that she would be sent to Indiana, to be shown by professional handler Eileen Hackett.  She spent the next few months with Eileen and her staff, getting trained for the show ring and getting her coat in condition.  She started with a few single points but in August, she finished will her 3 majors in just nine days. She came back with her championship, (the same week that we lost Reagan) and I showed her at a few Specialty Shows, then she was bred in March of 2014. The litter of 8 puppies, 3 females and 5 males were born on Memorial Day, May 26, 2014. 

In order to achieve what we wanted and “needed” in our breeding program, I went back to Canadian lines, the litter was sired by “Robert” BIS, BISS, Am. Gch., Can Gch., Captiva’s Turning Heads, owned by Jill Taylor, in Cambridge, Ontario. It is worth looking him up on Jill’s website, Captiva Kennels. This breeding brought in the classic and traditional type I was looking for in our dogs. All the puppies are sold to pet homes, and once again, we kept a male and a female. Connor and Caitlin (Katie) and have been shown as puppies, and when they are ready, they will return to the ring. Connor resembles his father and Katie looks just like her mother, right now they are being puppies and growing up “Irish”.

About Our Kennel:

Our primary location is in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in Wentworth, about 15 miles northwest of Plymouth. We still keep a summer house in Rhode Island, and go back and forth throughout the year, but spend the summer months in Rhode Island as much as we can, we are five minutes from the ocean. The kennel in New Hampshire was built to accommodate our dogs, and guests with dogs. Our Irish Setters live in the house with us, they have their own room in our lower level and easy access to the outside kennel runs. We have just over 145 acres of land that has plenty of wildlife, pheasant, quail, turkey, rabbits, deer, moose, black bears and even a lynx has been spotted.  There are 4 miles of trails that have been cut through the bush, for easy hiking and riding through on the gator, there is a stream with brown trout, and a few,. now abandoned beaver ponds.  This property is mountain terrain and plenty of hills and valleys, with some field areas opened up for training dogs for field work for hunt tests.
The outdoor kennels are both covered and uncovered, with separate runs for each or an all-open space allow all the dogs to be together. We have a separate puppy kennel inside and a separate whelping room. The kennel office is just outside the dog’s kennel room and opens into the family room. We have radiant heated floors, a professional bathing station along with a well-supplied grooming area, with extra-large crates, for each dog. We have the dogs off leash to run on the property, they are always supervised, and are trained to recall.  There is plenty of “free time” every day with all dogs, having time to explore the property and play together or in pairs. They love the trails and this keeps them in excellent physical condition. The kennel is managed by Brenda with assistance from Lee, who handles the business side. For now, Scarlett rules all of the red heads, Eliott is a couch potatoe, Connor is always in trouble, and Katie is searching for her favorite toy, “Lamb Chop”.      Yes, it is busy, each is bathed and groomed regularly especially in “mud season” and according to show schedules.

Enjoy our website, there are photos that goes back to the 1970’s, photos of our many dogs, past and present, and litters that we have bred.  Each dog we have owned since the 90’s has their own page and pedigrees posted.