The Brittany takes its name from the province in northern France where it
originated, possibly as long as 1,800 years ago. While there is no consensus on
the origins of the breed, many experts believe the dog is a product of
interbreeding between English pointers and spaniels native to Brittany. The
strong historical ties between Brittany and southern Britain lend strong support
to this theory, as frequent interaction between merchants, politicians, and
hunters could easily have resulted in pairings between English and French
hunting dogs. Depictions of dogs bearing a strong resemblance to the Brittany
can be found in paintings and tapestries dating back to the 17th century, in
which one sees the dog being used to locate and capture game, much as it is used
today.
The Brittany as we would recognize it today, however, traces its
origins back to the mid-19th century. The first written account of a Brittany
(or a dog very much resembling one) dates back to 1850, when an English
clergyman by the name of Reverend Davies wrote about hunting with small,
bobtailed dogs that pointed, retrieved, and worked well in the brush. Around
this time, it is said that a local hunter in the small French town of Pontou
bred his white-and-mahogany bitch with a yellow-and-white dog owned by an
English sportsman who was in Brittany on a hunting trip; the resulting litter
produced two tailless puppies, arguably the first of the Brittany breed.
The Brittany was first officially recognized in France in 1907 with the
registration of “Boy,” an orange-and-white, as the first épagneul Breton
queue courte naturelle (Brittany Spaniel with short natural tail). The
Brittany was brought to the United States in 1931 and recognized by the American
Kennel Club in 1934. In 1982, the AKC dropped “Spaniel” from the breed’s name in
recognition of the dog’s pointer / setter-like characteristics, though the breed
is still called Brittany Spaniel in other countries. To this day, the Brittany’s
agility, obedience, and strong nose make it a perennial favorite among hunters
and dog fanciers alike.
