Gary Scypta

garyscypta@irwsa.com

I grew up in South Eastern Ohio and was introduced to small game hunting by my father and although we didn't own a dog many of the friends that we hunted with did.  Hunting in the fall was a passion back then, at least until I discovered golf and girls.  Then there was college, marriage, the birth of our daughter, a career and a business to run.  Along the way we acquired a Miniature Schnauzer for my wife and a Rottweiler that I put a CD obedienc title on.  In the early 90's I started hunting again and co-owned an English Setter with a hunting buddy, which he kept.  A few years later, when we were without a dog, I decided to acquire a hunting companion of my own.  I was traveling to the United Kingdom on a regular basis in those days and was introduced to the Irish Red and White Setter and was immediately attracted to this athletic and aristocratic breed.  After a UK reference assured Pat Brigden  that "I was a right nice chap, for an American" she agreed to let me purchase one of the fine pups from her Autumnwood kennel.  Maynard arrived  in 1994 and we hunted grouse, woodcock, pheasants and quail together for 13 years. It wasn't until he was 8 years old, and only after some arm twisting, that I agreed to show him.  He earned a Canadian Championship in two weekends, including Canada's first 5 point major. In 2004, with our daughter off at college, we attended the IRWS National  Specialty.  On the return trip home we decided to begin looking for another Irish Red & White and in the summer of 2005 we acquired a dog with strong working lines from Fiorella Mathis' United Spots kennel in Italy.  Roman got his AKC JH title a few days after his 1st birthday with four consecutive passes and, although he is a work in progress, he is developing into a very nice grouse dog.

Although I will continue to show my dogs in the ring, my main interest is in the field.  I believe that it is extremely important that owners of Irish Red & White Setters, whether their primary interest is show, agility, obedience or hunting, expect and demand that Breeders of these fine dogs abide by the Code of Ethics and breed to the standard so that we can continue to have dogs that are free of faults as outlined by the AKC - "strong and powerful, well balanced and proportioned without lumber, athletic rather than racy with an aristocratic, keen and intelligent attitude".