"The Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated ..."

Since the mid-1990s, John and I have been highly amused by the resultant "rumor mill" ~ such "stories" in circulation (for whatever reason and with most originating with those who certainly knew differently!) that John was "bought out," "no longer breeding," ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
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Yes, some even going so far as to suggest that John was dead! (Don't worry though, we know who you are ~ and have received even more reports of these rumors as recently as last week!
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As Mark Twain once famously remarked, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
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With a family heritage of five generations of breeding exceptional English Setter gundogs to maintain ~ and even though such matters as family affairs and other business interests frequently intruded ~ John still worked diligently in protecting, perfecting and improving upon the George Ryman-based lines the Fetters Family had become known for.
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As John has stated before on our pages here, there are no "short cuts" to breeding quality shooting dogs in a consistent manner ~ and once achieved, the lines must be protected and improved upon with the introduction of the occasional "right type" of blood.
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One of the results of John's endeavors are shown in the photo above in the bottom photo, Fetters-bred "Grouse Greta," at 16-months old in 2009 ~ along with a comparison photo of Ryman's Racket Boy, a setter bred by George H. Ryman himself.
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Though female and male, they are near mirror images in conformation ~ and the other standards George H. Ryman set and which the Fetters Family has maintained ~ are present as well.
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To learn more, see John's most recent piece, "Breeding the Lines, a Successful Long-term Strategy" on our "Fetters Setters ~ History and Heritage" page, easily accessed by clicking here.
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