Midland English Setter Society publish an annual magazine, Musings, which includes news, articles and other items of interest to all who live with our breed. A selection of these will be published here from time to time.

My Settee

by Jane Dennis, first published in Musings 2000. 

Jane informs us that the same settee is still doing sterling work for the present Mariglens! In 2002 Jane spent 10 times what she originally paid to have it expertly  reupholstered. It looked lovely when it came back! She kept the dogs off it for a while, but gradually they have crept back on it again. School Breeze spends the greater part of his day sprawled on it, but grudgingly shares it in the evenings with Jane, and sometimes with the other dogs. He is not happy when the two girls are curled up on it with no room for him! Jane thinks now the settee may go on for ever! 

 Looking at Dean curled in a tight ball, nose under tail, as comfy as anything, just the eyebrows raising slightly as I speak, started me thinking about the tiny little bit of setter history that has taken place on my settee over the past 20 or so years.

 We saved to buy this settee with Co-op vouchers, it was part of the new furniture in our home when we got married and we paid the princely sum of £110. A two-seater by Parker Knoll, with Queen Anne legs, you know the kind of thing, and it now sports pretty chintz loose covers. We didn’t know when we bought it but it can accommodate at last 5 setters (and one mini dachshund)

 As well as the dozens of human bottoms that have perched on it over the last thirty-odd years, generations of Mariglens have been born and died on it. For some reason my bitches always want to have their first puppy on it. I now cover it well with polythene and towels once the business starts in earnest. They are quite happy to retire to the whelping box after number one has arrived.

 My dear Highlight, as well as her daughters, Silent Prayer and Silent Angel, when their time came to say goodbye, lay on it while they slipped silently away with a little help from the Vet.

 When we have visitors, it can be quite embarrassing, for after the dogs have said their hello’s they then try and remove the visitors from the settee by getting behind and pushing them off. This is most annoying because if I am expecting visitors I remove the sheet that usually covers it up in order to try and preserve it’s appearance. They pretend not to hear when I ask them (the dogs, not the visitors!) to get off and cling like limpets when I get behind the settee and tip it up until gravity takes over. Of course when it is bedtime they become extra deaf and cling extra hard!

 I often smile at the performance as each dog tries to get the best place, one curls up and is just dozing off when someone else clambers up. There is much groaning from the setter underneath as it tries to pretend there really isn’t a great weight upon it, but after a few minutes it slides out and rather like one potato, gets on top and the whole process starts again.

 I suppose one day in the not too distant future the settee will have to be replaced. Underneath the pretty loose covers it is really rather tatty, the legs are chewed as are the padded arms. It always amazes me how they manage to chew the furniture while apparently fast asleep. As well as several sets of loose covers, it was even re-upholstered once about 15 years ago. However I guess for the time being it will continue to have setters heaped upon it through all the stages of their lives.

 Jane Dennis (Mariglen)