OUR BEST FRIENDS: ENGLISH SETTER JERSEY ALWAYS POINTS TO FUN

Kathryn and Ernie Padalino’s 17-month-old English setter is purebred and registered with the AKC. True to his heritage, Jersey freezes and points for every rabbit, squirrel and bird even though that is not his job. English setters have been trained as bird dogs for more than 400 years in England. Jersey is ready to hunt.

Jersey’s purebred status doesn’t upstage his most endearing qualities. “He’s just goofy,” said Kathryn Padalino. “He has a goofy personality and that’s the reason he became a cartoon logo and mascot for our business.” He understands the work environment, though, where he goes every day and spends most of the time sleeping. He also travels along on deliveries.

“We’re pretty much joined at the hip,” said Padalino.

When she first brought him home, Padalino says he was a bit clumsy – like Winnie the Pooh’s friend Eeyore or a toddler. Jersey’s favorite sleep position is on his back with all four feet in the air. Even today Padalino says his body posture is still a bit like Eeyore’s.

There’s no denying the goofy look on the face of a sitting English setter. The sad eyes are inherited and the loving disposition shines through. Padalino has owned setters before and says that Jersey, true to nature, has a fun and very playful personality. For fun, Jersey enjoys the dog park.

Jersey loves to swim – and enjoys his private pool in the backyard. When he’s not swimming, he rearranges the landscape, dragging palm fronds around the yard and chasing geckos at the same time. He travels well and visited New Jersey, Charleston South Carolina, and St. Augustine, where he went swimming and played on the beach. The most exciting visit was to Central Park in New York. Locally, he may be seen proudly sitting in the back seat of a convertible.

While he qualifies at 69 pounds, Jersey’s personality rules out any responsibilities as a guard dog. He would lick the intruder to death. He prefers licking ears and chewing on earlobes. He likes to be with his people, preferably snuggling. He is loyal, and his desire to please makes him easy to train.

Jersey needs grooming every three months and brushing often. His taste in food is easy to please – including a fondness for cheese, applesauce and Padalino’s husband Ernie’s biscotti.

According to the AKC, an English setter’s nose may lead him to food anywhere: Some have been known to try to get into the dishwasher following the scent of a morsel left on a plate.