About Chiausi Ridge Kennels

I got my first hunting dog in 1964 at the age of sixteen from a friend of my father’s. It was a German Shorthair Pointer pup that I named Moose. I bought a book on how to train pointing dogs and started mine and my pup’s education.

One year later my family moved to the far suburbs of Chicago where I found fields full of Pheasant and some Quail. I then purchased a Chesapeake Bay Retriever pup that I named Buck. These two dogs, while I made many mistakes in training them, turned out to be great hunting dogs.

Moose would seemingly hold a point forever and Buck was retrieving doubles during the Illinois early Teal season at six months old, although he did start retrieving the decoys on opening day of the regular duck season, but that was my fault, not his. On one hunt Moose chased a Pheasant, which we had shot and wounded, into woods and by the time we caught up, he was holding the bird down with his paws and plucking it. I told my buddy that my dog was so good that he cleaned my birds for me, but we both knew he was getting ready to eat it. My love for bird dogs was just getting started and my education on training bird dogs continues to this day.

Fast forward to 1996 when I purchased my first English Setter, who I named Scruffy. I had been Ruffed Grouse hunting since 1973 and had seen beautiful pictures of Setters pointing Grouse and Woodcock. A love affair with Setters was started and today, I have 12 of them, both English and Llewellins, as well as two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.

I now live in the country in northwestern Illinois where I can raise and train these dogs.