Brittany Profile

history

The Brittany takes his name from the Celtic area of northwest France that was once an independent kingdom. Brittany lies just across the English Channel from Wales, and for well over a thousand years there was a great deal of commerce between the two countries, with dogs surely being a part of that trade. It's easy to see by their coloring alone as well as other physical characteristics that the Brittany and the Welsh Springer Spaniel probably had common ancestors.

The first records of Brittany-type dogs are visual: paintings and tapestries dating to the 17th century. They show a liver and white dog pointing partridge. Modern Brittanys started to take shape in the mid-1800s in Pontou, a small town in Brittany. It's said that they were the result of a cross between a white and mahogany female owned by a French hunter and a lemon and white male brought to Brittany for shooting by an English sportsman. Of the two pups they produced, one was considered to have the requisite hunting ability and became a popular stud in the area. The result was bob-tailed dogs that pointed and retrieved. Apparently, local poachers were quite fond of them for their speed, agility, and willingness to take direction.

Around the same time, dog shows became popular in Britain and other parts of Europe, including, naturellement, la France. Brittanys moved effortlessly from the field to the show ring and were recognized as a breed in France in 1907. The first French Brittany registered in that country was an orange and white dog named Boy.

Brittanys didn't make it to the United States until 1931, but once they became known, they gained steadily in popularity. The first Brittany registered with the American Kennel Club was Edir du Mesnil, in 1934. The American Brittany Club was formed in 1942 and rewrote the French standard to suit themselves.

Like so many breeds, Brittanys suffered a decline as a result of World War II. In France, breeding of Brittanys came to a halt during that time. After the war, French breeders decided to allow black spotted dogs in the standard because the gene pool was so depleted throughout Europe. U.S. breeders did not follow suit. Even today, black is not an accepted color for Brittanys in the U.S. and Canada, but it is accepted in all other countries.

For many years, many breeders wanted to delete the word "spaniel" from the name of the breed because Brittanys are pointing dogs, not flushing dogs like spaniels. In April 1982, the AKC Board of Directors approved changing the name to Brittany, deleting the word "spaniel" as a part of the name. In some other countries, however, they still are called Brittany Spaniels. Today, the Brittany ranks 31st among the 155 breeds and varieties registered by the AKC.

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