No offense, but I would talk my friend out of it if I were you. I had an Irish Setter once and he was the worse disiplined dog I have ever seen. My buddy/neighbor had one and he had the same problem. If they get loose, and they will, you won't find him for days- guaranteed. Especially a male. A true Irish Setter will have a small white crest of a few (maybe as few as 6-8)white hairs on it's chest. That is one of the ways to prove a puebred Irish Setter. But mine got loose (usually by digging under our chain link fence) so many times and I spent so many days chasing him it wasn't funny. If I turned him out in the yard and didn't watch him, he would do nothing but dig, trying to get out. And when he got out, he would run for days and miles around area- sometime for weeks before he was seen again. It is definitely not a breed I would ever recommend to anyone I called a friend. If you ever see the movie, Funny Farm with Chevy Chase where his Irish Setter got loose and he would see it every few days, running, as it passed by the house- that is exactly what they do. If you haven't seen it- rent it and show it to your friend to show him what he can expect. I am not joking, it is the most beautiful dog there is, but also the most miserable, unruly, scheming, untrustworthy, stupid, useless, worthless dog in the world. There were so many times when I caught mine after chasing him for days, I wanted to put a gun to his head and shoot him. Or run over him with the car. And I would have if I wouldn't have had my small son, who was about four or five at the time. I spent many nights out in the snow at three in the morning chasing that dog, having to get up the next morning to go to work. So, if your friend buys one, he will find out. I promise you. Good luck with your/his adventure.
