Birddogs as Pets

I was just finishing up the translation of the Crowdfunding Campaign for the birddog rescue that saved my furbabies, Gundog Rescue CACI. Read about it in my previous post here. 
There seems to be some misconception about birddogs not being good pets...well, I know they fall in the most underrated dog breed category, but really...Golden retrievers are also birddogs, and nobody thinks they don't make good family pets.
English setters have a lovely mild temperament, laid back and mellow in the home. Most times my furbabies are snoozing on the couch, enjoying the background noise of their beloved human family pottering around the house, or lounging in the kitchen hoping for a taste of whatever whoever decides to snack on during the day. This is not to say that they counter surf, or beg insistently for scraps during meals, on the contrary, having been trained not to, they are well-mannered and quiet, taking their own meals in their own fixed spot. ( I do feed them first so they're not hungry when we eat meals.)
Historically setters would work in a team of dogs, going ahead and finding the bird and holding it in place. When the hunter gave the word, a spaniel would flush the bird for the hunter to shoot, and then the golden retriever would go and get it, to bring it back to the hunter. All bird dogs have soft mouths to carry game carefully without breaking it: as in being careful to preserve the roundness of your roast chicken on the center of the Sunday lunch table. This means setters as a breed(unlike terriers, who will bite swiftly to kill) are people and dog friendly, and do not bite to harm or draw blood, but have very gentle mouths, so they are wonderful and safe around children. Not that you shouldn't supervise all dogs around children, because kids are scary incomprehensible alien beings, but basically, my dogs love their wee people, suffer them well and ignore them as best they can.
My two are getting old, so they no longer need those long wonderful walks in the parks, and will lead the way home lately when I myself feel I want a longer meander. But during their lives with us, I have never felt they were frustrated at not getting enough exercise or needed a more exciting life: training, walks, going on outings, dog parks, dog cafes, meeting people, sniffing freely, as long as there is interest and companionship, my dogs seem to enjoy life. I wouldn't want a different breed, and I love my two
setters, quirks and all. Hip hip hooray for the English Setter!