Irish setters are known for being highly energetic and affectionate. I’ve always been fascinated by the breed and love the deep golden red chestnut color of their coats. They are fairly large dogs that can weigh as much as 70 pounds. They need a lot of exercise but can be a bit cat-like with their tendency of selective hearing or playing deaf.
This fellow appears to be waiting for someone to come and play with them or follow them to the prey they have discovered. The Irish red setter loves to play and hunt and tends to get bored easily. They make great family pets but their hunting instincts may cause problems if there are any small pets in the household.
Friedrich Wilhelm Keyl (1823-1871) drew this lovely dog drawing, which appeared in an 1865 work on dog training. The dog is in in what appears to be a field and is clearly ready to run. There’s a line of trees in the background which could easily be cropped off if you needed a slightly shorter drawing.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
