The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
A WINNING TEAM
Gregor McCluskey, Braeval Laddie win national championship
Gregor McCluskey and his Red Setter, Braeval Laddie, emerged the winners of a highly competitive bird dog championship in Illinois earlier this month. McCluskey, owner of Braeval Sporting Apparel LLC in Litchfield, has trained and handled dogs all his life, and has spent the last four years with Laddie.
“Laddie did great, and I did what I was supposed to do, so we earned it, and we deserved it,” McCluskey said. “After it was over, people said, ‘Enjoy it, because it may never happen again.’ And it’s true, you never know. I’m so glad we went out there.”
McCluskey is a retired Timex executive who opened Braeval after moving to Litchfield County. But he works hard keeping up with his business, and finds training dogs a challenging pastime.
“Working with dogs is more than a hobby,” he said. “It’s a commitment. I enjoy it. It gets me out into the great outdoors.”
In this most recent competition, Laddie was named National Championship, Open Shooting Dog and National Champion, Amateur All Age in the Red Setter National Field Trial Championships. They were
held at the Jim Edgar Panther Creek area in Chandlerville, Illinois.
His dog is a special one, McCluskey said, because he’s a Red Setter. “They were bred to maintain the intelligence of the hunting birds, and they’re known to be the finest bird dogs anywhere,” he said. “We compete against English Setters and Pointers, and they’re also well known for their bird hunting abilities. But this is not your typical Irish Setter . ... People expect very little from them, and they’re really phenomenal dogs.
“Laddie’s win is a testament to Red Setters,” he said. “He just turned 4, and I’ve had him since he was a puppy.”
Laddie’s lean body and raised tail — characteristic of the breed — come with plenty of training and exercise. Laddie runs four days a week with McCluskey, and also has a personal trainer. The demands of being a champion are a challenge for both man and dog, and McCluskey said his Laddie is up to the challenge.
“He’s fast,” McCluskey said. “He starts running and he just goes.”
In bird dog hunting, dogs are taught to find a bird and come to the very edge of flushing it out, before stopping and waiting for its next command. That’s when the hunter comes up and finds the prey. In a competition, the men are on horseback, following the dogs and using commands to control them. They compete in pairs, called a brace, and a scout and two judges watch the dogs as they run. When the dogs are first released, they run for several hundred yards and find their prey. “The dog finds it, he thinks, runs, and he has to be in just incredible shape to go to a spot that would hold a bird,” he said. “He points, locks up (his body) and his tail and head are high.”
Once the dog stops, the hunter comes forward to “flush and shoot” the bird, “using blanks,” McCluskey said. And all this time, the dog must stand still, not moving or turning. If the other dog crosses to make the point, he must “honor” that dog’s move.
“A dog needs endurance to be able to do that,” McCluskey said. “Field trial dogs become good hunting dogs.”
Laddie did very well in Illinois.
“I was told at the championships that I’m only the second one with a Red Setter who has won,” McCluskey said proudly. “I don’t own a horse, I can’t train on horseback, so I have to do it on my own. If you’re not on a horse, you use an ATV.”
McCluskey runs his dog using that ATV, which helps build muscle and speed. “I run him on the dirt roads, with my truck, and he’s very fast,” he said. “When we started training, people would stop and watch, and ask, ‘What are you doing?’ and now they see us and they wave, and watch the dog. He’s done very well. He’s still young.”
McCluskey joined the American Field Dog competitions after entering previous pets in the AKC competitions.
“It’s serious,” he said. “People invest a lot in this sport — like any sport, there’s a high level of competition.”
McCluskey also enjoys letting people know that a Red Setter’s personality and abilities are often misconceived.
“In the movies, like (Disney’s) ‘Big Red,’ and in Ireland, the setter was bred as a dog that would hunt ducks in the morning, pheasants in the afternoon, and rabbits at night,” he said. “The dog needs to work.
“But people start to think Red Setters are energetic, and high strung . ... Laddie’s not at all,” McCluskey said. “Laddie comes to my store every day, and he’s the calmest dog you’ve ever seen. If I blow my whistle, he goes like a bat out of hell, but he’s very calm dog. He’s a bit of