After hunting a decade and dealing with what I believed to be the inconsistency in quality of the English setters I knew, I found myself longing for a Llewellin setter. I had had some good setters, but I never had just what I wanted until a really good friend and grouse hunting mentor,  Steve Narramore had a year old Llewellin male.  I acquired him in January of 1990.  That dog was Awbonnies Bull.   I hunted many coverts alone with that young dog before our season closed at the end of Feb.  That was the turning point for me concerning grouse dogs, and, honestly, grouse hunting.

 

I had been researching from old American Field magazines and talking with people but Bull taught me more than any man or book could. From his humble begginnings of a close dog he evolved into a grouse finding machine with great stamina and bird finding ability. His range grew with his and my desire to find more birds. We hunted hard, fast, long and often. I pushed him wider by hunting faster and by his 2 year old season he was becoming a force in the grouse woods. 

 

No backing away now; I had found what suited me. All the time I was researching and because I had hunted with some of the best grouse dogs of various breeds since 1980, I knew his skill level was very high for a 2 year old. I had to have more Llewellin setters. This was the English setter for me.

 

I wanted to keep that great nose Bull had in my dogs , keep the dogs pure and have stylish athletes.  I did not want normal dogs. The Appalachian mountains are very demanding to hunt. Nothing living is perfect but I set a"Quest" to have more dogs like Bull. He was not a typical longer haired Bondhu like many I had seen. He was short haired, tight footed powerhouse, with well sprung ribs, a high tail set and a great, reaching gait.  His prowess on grouse was uncanny as was one of those dogs the old timers swear could "make birds".

 

My research lead me to the Blizzard Llewellins. I researched much and talked with people about the line. Mr Joe Noe and Herb Anderson were big influences on me. I learned much. I had to get Blizzard dogs. Joe told me Mr Bob Johnson of London ,Ky (now my hometown) looked for 50 years before finding a Bondhu with the outstanding Blizzard characteristics.

 

We did quite a few breedings and produced some nice dogs, but I was still longing for the Blizzard Llewellins that Joe and Herb touted so highly. For various reasons we had not aquired one, but more and more, I began thinking that this Blizzard line was historically the backbone of the Llewellin setter strain. After moving to London the Blizzard line was on my mind more as it was the home of where they started with Mr Johnson back in the late 1930's or early '40's. Johnson had raised the dogs for Dr. H.D. Ersig of Teledo , OH. They had imported and exported dogs all over including exports to the Llewellin Kennels in Great Britain and South Africa. Mr. Ersig himself made many transatlantic visits, sampling great shooting sport over the great Llewellins of that day.  Dr. Ersig's Blizzard breeding can be seen in select Llewellin pedigrees even now. 

 

 Just before we moved to London from our hometown of Pippa Passes, Ky.,  an old friend shared some info with me I had never known. I had hunted with an older grouse hunter when in high school. He had an old chestnut tricolor he called a "Llewellin."  He was always the go to dog but I had no idea I had been hunting with a Blizzard Llewellin all along. "Winston," as he was called, was by parents from Mr Johnson of London. He was a pure Blizzard. No wonder I loved these kinds of dogs so much!  It all was making sense. Winston is still the only dog I ever saw stop and point a grouse with a retrieved grouse in his mouth.

 

 Upon moving to London I talked with locals about Mr Johnson and finally did locate one dog from the line south of me. It was too old to breed. He was a big chestnut-eared Blizzard, 15 years old. The owner said he was tough as nails and hunted until he was well into his teens. I  made contact with Joe and Lori Noe and got a masked tricolor male about a year old. Sadly we lost him, but not before he sired a litter of which there are progeny still around. 

 

 I had some serious health issues and did not breed Llewellins for some time. I decided to try Joe and Lori Noe again to get more Blizzard blood, as he was the last, at least in my mind, of the true Blizzard breeders and an amazing Llewellin fancier. He knows more about Llewellins than any man living. It took a while to get things going but thanks to Joe and Lori Noe the Blizzard Llewellin has come home to its London, Kentucky roots, this time to stay.