Kaylee - A Working Irish Terrier

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 A Working Dog's Life - Kaylee at Trieven-Sungold Kennel

How many of us have read the old Irish Terrier literature with its references to the working qualities of our Irish and wondered, do the dogs still have these qualities and capabilities? Jay and Val Walker of Lovell, Wyoming on their 2500-acre Shining Mountain Ranch are here to tell you that they do! They're the owners of Redloch's Shining Mountain Ceilidh (Kaylee), who has proved to be a bird dog extrodiaire.

The Walkers run Trieven Sungold Kennels, where they breed Golden Retrievers and Labradors. They have produced 48 Amateur Field Champions, 2 national Champions, and have three of their dogs registered in the Field Trial Hall of Fame. In addition they have three conformation champions to their credit, 1 Golden and 2 Schipperkees (which were also used for hunting). They have participated for over 3 decades in AKC Field Trials and Hunt Tests (in fact helping establish the AKC Hunt Test guidelines). These folks know Field Trialing and Hunting with dogs!

"We have never had such an enjoyable dog." "She is an excellent pheasant dog, and has made some spectacular retrieves. Last week she recovered a shot pheasant that was barely wounded. She tracked it over 300 yards, and caught it in mid air, and delivered it to hand. She is truly special."

Redloch's Shining Mountain Ceilidh (Kaylee) loves hunting rabbits and the occasional raccoon too. We all know that Irish were bred to flush and kill vermin, which Kaylee does very well. Her buddy, Shining Mountain Shanahan, is just the reverse. He has a preference for "fur" and less (not much less) interest in birds. Their daughters, Shoshone and Brillo, are following the pattern.

These dogs live a life that many Irish Terrier owner’s dream of for them, but oh-so-precious-few dogs ever get to actually live it. 

The Walkers also own Shining Mountain Foxtrotters, gaited horses they use to conduct upland game hunts into the backcountry around their spread. They naturally take their dogs with them. "So it might be a big surprise  to find an Irish Terrier among the best retrievers we have ever owned or trained" as Val Walker related. Or that these red terriers make several of the Walkers Hunt Club members show bred labs "look totally incompetent".

Of course we Irish Terrier owners are not at all surprised to hear that the Irish "have always been physically capable". When the Walkers pack in 15 miles, the Irish do 25 and they "NEVER . . . get hurt, come up lame, lack desire, or quit." And of course we would expect our daredevils to "let us know if there are any bears around", and guard camp, making sure that "the wild critters avoid our camp".

Combine this attitude and capability with superior "IQ, trainability and temperament" being "amongst the most intelligent, trainable and fun breed there is" says Val, and you have dogs that "aren’t about to back down to other dogs" but "they don’t go looking for fights. If we run into other dogs in the mountains, they respond, and will come and stay close to us. Even if an untrained, loose dog comes up to them, they won’t pick a fight. Only once have we had an altercation, and that was when a cattle dog decided to go after our little Schipperkee Tilly. Schips are known to be scrappers too, but at 14 years, though Tilly stood her ground and put on a display, I really think that cowdog would have killed her if the IRA [Kaylee, Shanahan, Shoshone and Brillo’s collective reference as a pack] hadn’t gotten to her in time. They  didn’t have any real fight, but they put that cowdog on the run, out of our camp, and came back immediately when called, after I rescued poor little Tilly." says Val.

Visit the Walkers, Redloch's Shining Mountain Ceilidh (Kaylee), and their other animals at Trieven Sungold Kennels.