The Irish Setter Club of Milwaukee, founded in 1949 as a non-profit organization, has been dedicated to the promotion of owning, responsible breeding and training of Irish Setters as well as educating the general public on all aspects of dogs.
Our Club has worked diligently to promote health research, owner responsibility and rescue for all dogs
In the past 15 years our small Club has been responsible for donation? totaling $150,753
$110,627 to the AKC Health Foundation for Cancer, HOD, Bloat and Epilepsy research
$4,170 to other health causes, the University of Wisconsin Vet School, Custom Canines, etc
$5060 to fight anti-dog legislation
$23,718 to rescue - IS Rescue, Humane fund, Save Our setters, etc.
$575 to support 4H/Junior showmanship
$4848 dog treats to the Meno. Falls Food Pantry, 2 Humane Societies & Gr. Lakes Rescue
$1755 other, including Wisconsin Vest-A Dog, NAIA, community donations.
These donations would not have been possible without the support of people like youI
Having had Irish Setters as pets since I was seven years old I thought I knew everything there
was to know. Then in 2017 an Irish Setter named Adrian (Vermillion Seabreeze) won Reserve
Best in Show at the Westminster dog show. Even though I had no connection to Adrian, that
moment in time was the closest thing to a spiritual experience I have ever had. I knew right
then that we were destined for the show ring. I thought surely with half a century of experience
with ten Irish Setters, I would be the first one who finally wins the top prize at Westminster. It
didn’t take long to squash those dreams but I must admit that as beginners we did very well
with Guinness and my American Saddlebred trained daughter handling him.
The day we took Guinness into our family, the breeder required us to join the AKC and the Irish
Setter Club of Milwaukee. At first I was just happy to be a part of a Red Dog family, something
I never had before. Some of us would get together in August with the dogs and even though I
was in my 50’s, I felt like the little kid in the 1970’s Pepsi commercial getting swarmed by
puppies.
As I grew more involved in the club and their Mission Statement, I quickly found out that being
an Irish Setter family can be emotionally heartbreaking for many. I myself had four dogs that I
had to let go of way too young that absolutely devastated me like I have never felt before. In
my circumstance it was cancer and epilepsy that took my best friends away from me. At the
time I had no support system and thought I was the only one.
I knew with the decade or two I have left that I had to do something to repay all the years of
unconditional love I got from my dogs. After Chairing 12 Fast CAT events for my local kennel
club and being very successful I wanted to do the same for my breed club so I could finally
make a contribution towards finding a cure and not just for Irish Setters but all dogs.
I really have to thank everyone at the ISCM for allowing me the privilege to get to know all of
you. More importantly I have to thank all of you that have stuck with me through Hell & High
Water!
Michael J. Langkau
ISCM Fast CAT Chair
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