Result: Setter Club of New England
Location: Falmouth, Georgia
Post Date: May 18, 2026
Submitted By: Jim Hathaway
Open Puppy (l-r): Deb Kennedy (judge), Tim Cavanaugh with Biscuit City Sage, Jeff Wecal with Chief Muddy Paws, and Brian Dix with Hog Hill Sparkling Diamond.
This year, the 97th anniversary of the Setter Club of New England's first spring trial almost didn't happen. In my 25+ years as a member/officer/trial chairman/reporter of the Setter Club, I have only seen this trial canceled twice. In 2015, the snowplow piles on the road into the trial grounds were so high you couldn't see the field right on the other side from inside your truck. Then, in 2019 or was it 2020, Mass. Wildlife pulled our permit the week before. Mud on the road into the trial grounds was their concern, and the rain was forecast to continue daily. This year, a late-season snowstorm dumped over a foot of snow on us. With only a couple of weeks til the trial, there were still waist-high drifts on the road into the trial grounds. We thought about canceling after exploring dates we could reschedule. Then, as if by magic, rain and 60-degree temps, the snow was gone in four days. The spring trial would go on! Not so fast, here comes the fire Mass. Forestry had scheduled the week before our trial to control-burn the section of this WMA where we hold our trial. Seems they had started burning our entire WMA on a three-year rotating basis. No one had informed us, and this year was our turn. As an alternative, Mass. Wildlife offered us the option of returning to the grounds where we ran this trial 11 years ago. It was then pretty wide open. It is now roughly 400 acres of sandplain, warm-season grassland with sparse cover, especially on the first weekend of April.
So, we amended our advertisement, posted notices, set our courses, and held our breath.
By the time the drawing started, 75 dogs had entered and were drawn. From here to the first breakaway, finishing touches had to be done to the new courses and grounds. So, with water barrels set and filled, signs warning off the public posted, and tables and tents delivered, all was set for an early morning breakaway.
We have two courses. The West course is where our puppies run. The East course is set with liberated quail for our derbies and shooting dogs. Though we have two courses, running two stakes of open dogs at the same time saves no time, as handler conflicts cause too much stop-and-go running.
So we run them in order.
Open Puppy up first. As I said earlier, the grounds here are sandplain grasslands. The fact is, the dogs had no problem handling the wide open. It's the handlers that need to make adjustments, especially if they are used to handling coverdogs or working breakaways with treelines closer than a half mile away. So around they all went. The judges, Deb Kennedy and Cate Jewett, placed these three dogs in order. First place was Sage (PF), owned by Karen Unsworth and handled by Tim Cavanaugh. Second place was Chief (BRITM), owned and handled by Jeff Wecal. Third place was Diamond (PF), owned by Doug Dix and handled by Tim Cavanaugh.
Derbies and Shooting Dogs run on the East course. Back in the day, before the Sandplain grassland restoration started, there was a Red Pine Tree line about 150 yards from the breakaway. That tree line zigged to the left and away, then zagged straight out. It was nice to see a dog hit that tree line and take it left and away. That tree line is gone now, so it's another 200 yards from where the tree line was to a stand of young cedar and the old PVC-lined waterhole just beyond there. Used to be from the water hole on, we were in the woods with small half-acre or so fields. Now you don't get to any woodline until after the power lines, a couple of 100 yards after the waterhole. Even here, the woods aren't what they used to be. Back to the grassland restoration, Mass. Wildlife had better than half the trees, mostly Pitch Pines, removed. And the dense scrub underbrush has been kept down with prescribed burning.
Enough of that for now. On with the Francis Harwarth Open Derby. Both of our judges made it here to Cape Cod from Vermont. Bob Arkley and Doug Dix kept an eye on a healthy derby field of eight dogs, four braces. Their placements are as follows. In first place was Mildred (PF), owned and handled by Tim Cavanaugh. In second place, Livey (PM), owned and handled by Victor Forsyth. In third place, Blue (SM), owned by Steve Graham, was handled by Tim Cavanaugh.
After lunch, Puppy and Derby placements were announced and photos taken. The wind had picked up. There are no windbreaks on a grassland, and only four days past March, it wasn't a warm breeze. We always get a good entry for the club's Phil Fogg Open Shooting Dog Classic.
This year was a bit light, but only by a couple of dogs. Any entry over 20 is expected, but it can also cause us trouble getting the stakes finished on Saturday. Our judges, Jim Levesque and Eric Rizza, were in no hurry to squeeze this stake in. They gave each dog the consideration you would expect of a champion. First place was Hog Hill Fafo (PM), owned by Brian Dix. In second place was Paucek's Dormin, owned and handled by Kellie Short. Third place was Little Miss Margaret, owned and handled by Tim Cavanaugh.
Day one Saturday finished nicely before the last light of the day. Plenty of time for calling the placements and getting photos. Cleanup and breaking down for Sunday was pretty much take everything and bring it back in the morning. The weather forecast was unsettled. It was to be overcast all day with rain moving in after noon. This was a typical Cape Cod spring weekend. Expect at least one day of rain and a little sun if you're lucky on the day it doesn't rain.
Sunday started with a long hurry-up-and-wait. Fog, as I had never seen it here, held us up. Usually, it clears before long. As chairman, I wasn't in too much of a rush to start the Amateur Puppy stakes. But after waiting around half an hour past the advertised 7 a.m. start time, the handlers started getting restless. Visibility had gone from 100 feet to 100 yards, so they wanted to get on with it, and the judges agreed. So, into the fog they broke away at about 7:45 a.m. Seven puppies, three braces, and a bye to run. Most went smoothly. Though a couple of pups got off course, causing their handlers some extra walking. In the end, our Puppy judges, the same as yesterday, Deb and Cate, placed these puppies in this order. In first place was "Sta" (PF), owned by Brian Dix and handled by Liam Dix. Second place was "Gale" (ESF), owned and handled by David Theroux. In third was "Duke" (PM), owned by Rod Champion and Bob Arkley, and handled by Bob Arkley.
Back over to the East course for the Amateur Derby. When I left off describing the East course for the Open Derby, we were just under the power lines. Now, due to the forest cleaning and burning, we can keep the course right down the road. There are fields and open hardwoods on both sides now. It all pinches down a bit after the Doughnut Field. But soon you break into The Bowl. This was a nice round field surrounded by woodland back in the day. Now, from the top entrance to The Bowl, looking right, to the east, it is all clear. From The Bowl, you can see the course breakaway.
Now back to running the Open Derby. This won't take long. Only three dogs were entered, so the judges, Bob Arkley and Doug Dix, had only one placement to make. Getting the blue ribbon for first place was Paucek's Arabella (ESF), owned and handled by Kellie Short.
From here, the day became an organized jumble. We were watching the clouds on the horizon and the radar on our phones. The plan was to run two stakes, the Amateur Shooting Dog and the Amateur Gun Dog, at the same time on the East and West courses, respectively. The idea was to beat the rain that was definitely coming our way. The plan was to keep the 11-brace Shooting Dog going as quickly as possible and sandwich the four-brace Gun Dog in while keeping both courses moving. Anyone who has chaired a trial and tried to run two courses with two stakes at once knows how jumbled this can get. There will be conflicts! Somebody's gonna have to be running on two courses at once, and as much as you want to keep Course A moving, that won't happen, and if it happens once, it will happen three times. And so it did. And the rain moved in early. And soaked us all.
These are the times that truly try men's and women's souls. Judging and walking multiple braces in the rain is discomfort beyond the pale. For this, my special gratitude to our Amateur Shooting Dog judges, Jim Levesque and Alan Riaino. And our Gun Dog judges, Kelly Hays and David Theroux.
The Tom Foley & Ed Flanagan Gun Dog Classic was run on the Puppy course in pouring rain most of the time. For that reason, good bird work was hard to come by. However, the judges found three dogs that stood out. In first place was Ledgehill Mia (ESF), owned and handled by Jim Levesque. In second place, Starbarn's Chase (ESM), owned and handled by Ryan Cyr. In third place, Rocky (ESF), owned and handled by Kellie Short.
The Frankie McLaughlin Amateur Shooting Dog almost didn't happen this year. We had a ton of entries, but only Alan Riaino would commit to judging.
So my special gratitude to Jim Levesque. He had already committed to judge the Phil Fogg Open Shooting Dog Classic. Now he agreed to double duty to keep the Frankie McLaughlin Amateur Shooting Dog going. Now, after 10 braces mostly in the rain, here is how they saw the placements. In first place was Paucek's Dormin (ESF), owned and handled by Kellie Short. Second place, Ray (ESF), owned and handled by Bob Arkley. Third place, Dot (ESF), owned and handled by David Theroux.
If you noticed and if you didn't, we had a number of judges who did double duty, judging the same stakes both Saturday and Sunday. Puppy judges Deb and Cate, Derby judges Bob and Doug, and Shooting Dog judge double duty Jim. A double thank you to Kelly, David, and Alan, you didn't sign up for the weather. Thank you again. Eric, thanks for the time and thought you put into each brace. And I always put this last, so it stands alone. Thanks to Greg Blair, Purina, and U.S. Complete for providing the Purina coupons for the winners.
Now, all y'all, heads up. Next year's Setter Club Spring trial will be Saturday and Sunday, April 3-4. Easter next year is Sunday, March 28, a week before the trial. Please plan accordingly now so we will see you next spring, come snow, fire, wind, rain, or whatever else.
Falmouth, Mass., March 4
Judges: Cate Jewett and Deb Kennedy
OPEN PUPPY - 7 Entries
1st-BISCUIT CITY SAGE, F1725670, pointer female, by Chasehill Snoop Dog-Ms. Antebellum. Karen Unsworth, owner; Tim Cavanaugh, handler.
2d-CHIEF MUDDY PAWS, unreg., Brittany male, by White Rock Ranch's First Turkks-Eussie's Pride Daisy Mae. Jeff Wecal, owner and handler.
3d-HOG HILL SPARKLING DIAMOND, F1725086, pointer female, by Indian Creek Spur-Little Miss Margaret. Douglas Dix, owner; Tim Cavanaugh, handler.
Florence Harwarth Open Derby (l-r): Brian Dix with Back Creek Blue, Victor Forsyth with VW's Hifive Livey, and Tim Cavanaugh with Little Miss Mildred.
Judges: Bob Arkley and Doug Dix
FLORENCE HARWARTH OPEN DERBY - 8 Entries
1st-LITTLE MISS MILDRED, F1725085, pointer female, by Indian Creek Spur-Little Miss Margaret. Tim Cavanaugh, owner and handler.
2d-VW'S HIFIVE LIVEY, F1709081, pointer female, by Hifive's Ruff Runner-Wild Apple Siri. Victor Forsyth, owner and handler.
3d-BACK CREEK BLUE, F1717086, setter male, by Tarheel Hunter-Tarheel Attitude. Stevie Graham, owner; Tim Cavanaugh, handler.
Phil Fogg Shooting Dog Classic (l-r): James Levesque (judge), Brian Dix with Hog Hill Fafo, Kellie Short with Paucek's Dormin, and Tim Cavanaugh with Little Miss Margaret.
Judges: James Levesque and Eric Rizza
PHIL FOG SHOOTING DOG CLASSIC - 5 Pointers and 13 Setters
1st-HOG HILL FAFO, F1711945, pointer male, by Tattle Tailer-Ms. Antebellum. Brian Dix, owner; Tim Cavanaugh, handler.
2d-PAUCEK'S DORMIN, F1689478, setter female, by Deadwater Jake-Deadwater Wissah. Kellie Short, owner and handler.
3d-LITTLE MISS MARGARET, F1693526, pointer female, by Panola Bacon-Chasehill Little Izzy. Tim Cavanaugh, owner and handler.
Amateur Puppy (l-r): Brian Dix and Liam Dix with Hog Hill Axis Sally, Cate Jewett (judge), David Theroux with Gale Force Wind, and Lucas Dix and Bob Arkley with Duke of King's Mountain.
Judges: Cate Jewett and Deb Kennedy
AMATEUR PUPPY - 3 Pointers and 4 Setters
1st-HOG HILL AXIS SALLY, F1725084, pointer female, by Indian Creek Spur-Little Miss Margaret. Brian Dix, owner; Liam Dix, handler.
2d-GALE FORCE WIND, F1723241, setter female, by Super Storm Cliff-North Country Shooting Star. David Theroux, owner and handler.
3d-DUKE OF KING'S MOUNTAIN, unreg., pointer male, by Indian Creek Spur-Little Miss Margaret. Rod Champion & Bob Arkley, owners; Bob Arkley, handler.
Amateur Derby (top, l-r): Bob Arkley (judge) and Doug Dix (judge). (Front): Kellie Fogg with Paucek's Arabella and Angelo Calabro with "Bonnie."
Judges: Bob Arkley and Doug Dix
AMATEUR DERBY - 3 Pointers
1st-PAUCEK'S ARABELLA, F1719098, setter female, by Paucek's Little Tommy Tucker-Hunter's Moon Blue Ivy. Kellie Short, owner and handler.
Frankie Mclaughlin Open Shooting Dog (top, l-r): Alan Riaino (judge) and James Levesque (judge). (Front): Kellie Short with Paucek's Dorming, Bob Arkley and Lucas Dix with Rock Solid Sweet Baby Ray, and David Theroux with Henry's Susieq Dot.
Judges: James Levesque and Alan Riaino
FRANKIE MCLAUGHLIN AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG - 21 Entries
1st-PAUCEK'S DORMIN, F1689478, setter female, by Deadwater Jake-Deadwater Wissah. Kellie Short, owner and handler.
2d-ROCK SOLID SWEET BABY RAY, F1706422, setter female, by Rock Solid Tucker-Rock Solid Casey. Bob Arkley, owner and handler.
3d-HENRY'S SUSIEQ DOT, F1680901, setter female, by Henry of Ferguson-Blossom's Pale Face Susieq. David Theroux, owner and handler.
Judges: Kelly Hays and David Theroux
TOM FOLEY ED FLANAGAN SHOOTING DOG CLASSIC - 7 Entries
1st-LEDGEHILL MIA, unreg., setter female, breeding not given. James Levesque, owner and handler.
2d-STARBARN'S CHASE, F1686634, setter male, by Long Gone Porky-Popgun. Ryan Cyr, owner and handler.
3d-PAUCEK'S ROCKY ROAD, F1704261, setter female, by Long Gone Porky-Paucek's Mandy. Kellie Short, owner and handler.
Tom Foley & Ed Flanagan Shooting Dog Classic (top, l-r): Liam Dix (with trophy), Kelly Hays (judge), James Levesque with Ledge Hill Mia, Ryan Cyr with Starbarn's Chase, and Kellie Short with Paucek's Rocky Road.