Breeder Spotlight: Trailstar January 2019 Ch. Trailstar s Braveheart What is your name and any other family members, etc. who are or were part of your kennel? My name is MaryAnn Rodgers and my daughter is Amy Rodgers who used to show in Juniors. When did you get your start in English Setters? I have loved the breed since I was a teenager back in the 70 s. I got my first Irish Setter and used to attend the all-breed Chicago bench shows every year. That s when I fell in love with the English Setter. Time passed on while I raised 3 kids, so no time to show a dog. Instead, I settled for a field English that I used to take to obedience classes. Then in 1990, I was ready for a show English and met Peggie Dunsmuir and Jan Flaherty at McCormick Place. They told me they were breeding this beautiful classic orange English Setter bitch (Timbertrails Legend of Blustar) in the upcoming year so I gave them my number. They had a litter of 7 and that s how I got my first show dog, Penny (Blustar s Copper Penny). Was there a particular dog you saw in the ring that inspired you to become involved with the breed? I don t remember his name, but it was a beautiful blue and I knew I had to have one.
How did you choose your kennel name? My first bitch from a litter bred by Timbertrail and Blustar, hence = Trailstar. Have you had a mentor or certain person who has influenced you the most? Why? Peggie and Skip Dunsmuir. When I got started, I wanted to know everything past and present about the breed and breeders so Peggie and Skip would sit with me for hours and hours going through old annuals. I never could get enough of learning about the breed even until this day. Jan Flaherty also showed me grooming tricks and taught me about ring presence. Ch. Trailstar s Timbertail Titan Describe what you would consider your ideal English Setter? An English that doesn t look like an Irish or Gordon. A setter that, when stacked, the shadow replicates a true moderate balanced animal showing the proper front and rear angle with beautiful flow from neck to shoulders with a solid topline. The head must be a sweet soft expression and of course, the temperament to match. Most importantly, they have to move effortlessly, free and graceful. My Penny was a natural. I remember my first time in the group ring the lead slipped out of my hand and she continued to move without me at the end of the lead. I caught up to her at the end of the line and as I was standing there, this gentleman leaned over to tell me what a beautiful moving bitch I had. I got awarded a Group 2, which was Penny s and my first group placement. I stayed to watch Best in Show and the winner was the man who leaned over to me, Michael Canalizo showing his beautiful Afghan, Tryst. Wow, was I on cloud 9.
Is there a particular English Setter you saw that you wish you had owned or bred? I wish I had bred Penny although I did have the ultimate pleasure of owning and showing her. What are your feelings about current grooming styles? Too extreme. I remember old time, very respected judges such as Annie Clark and Dorothy MacDonald, saying, with all that coat, how do they run in the field? Do you, or have you, used your dogs at stud? If so, what criteria do you/did you have when deciding to allow a bitch to be bred to your dog? Health clearances and temperament is the standard. Pedigrees and ask the bitch owner what they are looking for to correct or compliment on their bitch. How often do you breed and how do you make that decision? I breed when I see a dog that would be great for my bitch and I get a feeling inside that it will be awesome. When I saw Zion at the Green Bay, Wisconsin national in the field trial class, I fell in love and had this feeling that he and Penny would be awesome together and they were. How do you evaluate puppies and when do you typically determine if a puppy is for show? Starts at birth and everyday watching them grow. It s hard to say as a breeder. You can weed out the pets versus show prospects, but you really don t know how that puppy will grow as they get older. So many things can happen like bites going bad, hips not passing, heads not as pretty as when a puppy, etc. You do the best you can as a breeder when they are puppies. The first, most important thing to me, is the puppy goes to a home where they are loved for the rest of their lives. It s hard to find show homes these days and I have had to place some really nice puppies in pet homes and that s okay because those puppies are in a good place. Is there a dog or puppy you ve sold that you wished you had kept yourself? Not really, because I get more joy in seeing the other family love that dog and be happy with the wins more than if it was me. I am the breeder and I
can sit back and be very proud so that means more to me than winning the ribbon myself. What dog has had the most influence on your breeding program and why? Penny and Braveheart and Titan (owned by Kerry and Bob Lamb, Australia). They produced sound beautiful moving dogs. I have many, many grandkids and great grandkids that are still making a mark on the breed. One of my great grandkids just took RWD at our National and you can see it in his movement. Who do you feel has been the best dog you ve ever bred so far and why? Trailstar s Braveheart and Trailstar s and Timbertrail Titan (Australian Best in Show winner and top stud dog producer) because they produced consistency and were true to type. Ch. Blustar s Copper Penny Do you have certain feelings, one way or the other, between using a professional handler versus showing your own dogs? I love to show my own dogs, but lately it has been hard to get around the ring with certain illnesses. Being an all-breed handler is not cutout for many people so I give them a lot of credit to do what they do every week.
What do you feel has changed over the years within the show ring both positively and negatively? I don t know what happened or what changed, maybe the cost of the shows has increased, but when I first started I was hooked and was out every weekend. It is a very huge commitment and expense. With everybody s lifestyle today, it is hard to make that part of your life. What is your general opinion of judging today in comparison to when you started? I don t feel the judges are judging the dogs based on the breed standard. Maybe it s the lack of judges workshops or mentoring, but you can see it by their judging. There is no consistency in their judging so that tells me they are not looking at the overall dog. If you have one, who has been your all-time favorite judge over the years, living or deceased, and why? Annie Clark and Michelle Billings, just to name a couple. Besides conformation, what other types of things have you done with your dogs (ie: obedience, field trials, agility, therapy work, etc.)? Hunting is a lot of fun without the stress, and not based on a judge s opinion. The performance of your dog, using their born instinct, is that much more gratifying. What do you feel you personally have contributed to the breed? I think I can say that I have contributed, but that would be my own opinion based on the generations of prodigy from my past dogs that I see in the ring. I am sure every breeder feels they have contributed to the breed in one way or another and they would not be wrong. After all, we are all dedicated to the English Setter breed.