16ga.com ~ View topic - One of the happiest birthdays of my life!

Joined: 14 Feb 2017 Posts: 401

First I heard, but not much worse than the loss you experienced. Good to hear of the new member of the family.

Joined: 08 Mar 2019 Posts: 43 Location: Alabama

What a SxS collection you must have Dave!
Always enjoy seeing your guns.

justanotherjoe,

Thank you sir for the nice complement.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

My Great Grandfathers Special Made #2E, L.C. Smith 20 gauge with Kraus #3 gun Woodcock & Quail engraving, sleeved for 28 gauge by Briley, many years ago. Still a sweet Grouse & Woodcock gun, even today. Briley custom made SK1 & SK2 screw in chokes to match the permanent 28 gauge Chrome lined full gun sleeves.

So happy for you Dave , that news really cheered me up , glad you gor sorted with a new pup , and really nice LC Smith gun .
Good luck WJ.

Beautiful pup and splendid shotgun. Stars align!

Purple16,

Thanks much I will be getting my Ryman/Old Hemlock pup in April, the L.C. Smith gun is in shipment right now, life is good!

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1381 Location: Denver, Colorado

Dave:

So glad to hear you dog situation has improved dramatically. Mine's curled up here on the floor as I type this. She's enjoying the midday sun as it streams in. She's 10 now and I'm detecting a slowing in her activities, which I suppose is inevitable. I hate to even think about it but in a few more years she'll be an old dog. What comes after that is a big unknown.

My wife & I will need to evaluate how we wish to operate going forward and if another dog is included in those plans.

Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 208

Congrats, Dave! Also, Happy Birthday, and here's wishing you many, many more.

My two setters (brothers) from Mike are now almost three years old and doing great. Full disclosure: they are family pets now. With all of the kids' sports we do year-round, I have not put them onto anything other than, well, sniffing out Purina Pro Plan and the occasional table-scrap. Not even a pen-raised chukar. I know: really bad commentary on the habits of a 16ga.com Member in (formerly) good standing.

They are, however, absolutely awesome family companions. My kids are now 15, 12, and 7, and the dogs have grown up with the kids. They sleep in their beds, play endless games of fetch, bark like rabid junkyard dogs if a suspicious stranger enters the driveway, and are more than willing to do whatever it is that we're doing. Like the perfect spouse or teenager, they're just happy to be along for the ride. They are happy, loving, disease- and hip issue-free dogs. Overgrown lapdogs, maybe, but there it is.

Conformationally, and dispositionally speaking, they are absolutely top notch.

Here's wishing you years and years of great hunts and companionship with your new Fireside Setters pup, Dave.

8mmFan

Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 208

Congrats, Dave! Also, Happy Birthday, and here's wishing you many, many more.

My two setters (brothers) from Mike are now almost three years old and doing great. Full disclosure: they are family pets now. With all of the kids' sports we do year-round, I have not put them onto anything other than, well, sniffing out Purina Pro Plan and the occasional table-scrap. Not even a pen-raised chukar. I know: really bad commentary on the habits of a 16ga.com Member in (formerly) good standing.

They are, however, absolutely awesome family companions. My kids are now 15, 12, and 7, and the dogs have grown up with the kids. They sleep in their beds, play endless games of fetch, bark like rabid junkyard dogs if a suspicious stranger enters the driveway, and are more than willing to do whatever it is that we're doing. Like the perfect spouse or teenager, they're just happy to be along for the ride. They are happy, loving, disease- and hip issue-free dogs. Overgrown lapdogs, maybe, but there it is.

Conformationally, and dispositionally speaking, they are absolutely top notch.

Here's wishing you years and years of great hunts and companionship with your new Fireside Setters pup, Dave.

8mmFan

Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 208

Sorry for the accidental double-post!

8mmFan

8mmfan,

Great to hear your Ryman dogs are doing so well and very healthy, I hope my pup will be as healthy! Looking forward to her arrival in April. You know of course the Lord has a special place for those owners who keep their Ryman dogs from hunting Grouse, I definitely do not want to go there, get those great dogs out into the Grouse woods soon! Thanks for the well wishes!

No big deal about the double post it happens. You can always go back and delete the 2nd post.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 208

Thanks, Dave. They are indeed healthy and happy. And, yes: You are 100% right that I owe them the pleasure of working on grouse.

You may not remember, but we actually spoke about Fireside Setters and our pups way back when we first got them from Mike.

You mentioned at the time that George Ryman was in the business of selling dogs. Hunting dogs, first and foremost, but also dogs that the clients actually liked as individuals and that were also eye-catching.

I can attest that, for my part, he certainly succeeded.

8mmFan

P.S. I did pick up the book that you recommended -- The Real Ryman Setter - A History, by Lesser and Weisse. Very good read.

8MMFan,

No doubt about it George Ryman bred Companion Grouse dogs on a talent level no other breeder ever attained, Mike at Wyss Firside setters has carried on the breed line better than most any one else. There are others like Lesser & Weisse who do a good job also. Having been raised right around George Rymans' kennel and home I can tell you Mike has the real dogs for sure. My Maggie Mae from Mikes kennel was an incredibly talented Grouse dog at just 2 years old, just like George Rymans original dogs.

Having had another great Ryman Reid Grouse dog earlier in my life, I have been very lucky too keep the incredible blood line in my own kennel for a very long time. The natural talent and beauty of these Ryman Grouse dogs really has no equal, when hunting Grouse, George's natural ability to set up a family breed line has traveled thru in the genetics of these great dogs even today. Unfortunately many of the modern breeders did not fully understand how Ryman maintained his breed line. His talent for out crossing was unbeatable. GBE almost destroyed his own kennel by picking the wrong kind of english setters, for having his puppies. He then went back to George Rymans great original stock to save his kennel, I told Mike to keep on doing what he is doing, with his breed line, it is as close to George's PA Grouse dog as modernly possible. I know this because I helped start many of George Rymans Grouse dogs, in the 50's, when his kennel was at its peak, for talented beautiful dogs. George would be proud of Mike for sure. Few people know this except for the boys who worked for George Ryman, he also raise some of the finest Gordon Grouse dogs, mostly for his own use Grouse hunting. He seldom if ever sold them, he did however gift them to certain sportsman close to his family. I will keep going back to Mike for my Ryman English Setter Grouse dogs, as long as I live. In my mid 70's now I hope to have a few more Great Ryman Grouse Dogs before the Lord rejoins me with Maggie Mae.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man
Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers

Pine Creek Ryman Daisy one big time Ryman Grouse dog, bred by Bill Reid when he was in business long ago. Daisy my constant companion for 18 years.

Pine Creek Ryman Daisy, my incredible Orange Belton Ryman female puppy.

Pine Creek Ryman Maggie Mae asleep at my feet for ever.

Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 208

Great pics! Great insight, too. Thanks Dave.

My two pups are beautiful. If I knew how to post pics I'd put a couple of pictures up to share. Let it suffice to say that they are tri-color, well-built, handsome dogs.

8mmFan

8MMFan,

if you know how to send your pictures to me via e-mail, I will post them for you. Send them to pine-creek@live.com

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man