History of the Brittany

History of the Brittany
by
Lee Weston

During the fifth and sixth centuries A.D., it was a time of great movement of peoples, made homeless by the Anglo-Saxon incursion into Wales and areas of what is now known as Great Britain. King Arthur did not come into the picture until the sixth century. The refugees from this period fled with as many of their possessions as they could. One of those possessions would be their dog, possibly a Springer Spaniel or an English Setter. These dogs would be considered valuable by these people due to it being used for hunting and working, and it made an excellent watchdog.
One of the places these Celtics and Welshmen fled to was an area in Northwestern France called Brittany. During the Arthurian Age, Brittany was a province of deep forest roads, weathered Calvaires (stone crosses) found at crossroads. Scattered within this brooding place one would have found prehistoric menhirs (an ancient monument, consisting of a single, tall, rough stone standing alone or with others), dolmens (another type of prehistoric monument made of two or more large, rough stones set on end and capped with a single huge stone or several stones) and the fontaines (the source where springs come out of the ground), that serve as a gathering place for faerie in the moonlight.
It was in this dark, mysterious country that these refugees sought a new home. How else to get food than to use their dogs for hunting purposes? Of course, the French had their own working spaniel. The French Spaniel is a dog of strength and stamina. It is considered to be one of the oldest breeds of pointing dogs. Sportsmen and hunters, each believing their dog was best, would probably wager as to who would have the first catch of the day, or the most, or whatever. Over time these dogs would have been exchanged or interbred with the dogs that were indigenous to the area, constantly striving to achieve the perfect hunting dog. It is believed that four other breeds of dog were involved in the development of the Brittany breed.
The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a red and white dog that is thought to have been brought to Wales by the Gauls in pre-Roman times. It is a dog needing lots of exercise. It remains to this day a devoted family member and hunting companion. The history of this breed begins as far back as 700 B.C. He is an active flushing spaniel.
The Gordon Setter is the heaviest of the setter breeds and was developed by the Duke of Gordon as a working setter early in the 19th century. It has a black coat with rich tan markings. This breed of dog was used to herd sheep as well as point feathered game.
The English Springer Spaniel is a sturdy, active sporting breed. The "springer" part of the name comes from the way they used to "spring" game for the sportsman's net.
The English Setter is descended from Spanish land spaniels dating since the 14th Century. It was due to the efforts of two breeders, Edward Laverack and Purcell Llewellin, that through their selective breeding program the English Setter developed into an elegant gun dog.
So we have five breeds of dogs at various stages of development, all probably involved in some way in the ultimate development of the Brittany Dog.
There are several factors that are in favor for choosing a Brittany for a hunting companion and family pet. First, this breed of dog has won more dual championships than any other. As far as can be determined, if one takes the sum total of all other dual championships won by other breeds, it is less than the number of dual championships won by Brittanys. The Brittany has a remarkable passion for hunting. It can hunt in any type of weather. It is a smaller, less-ranging dog so that a hunter on foot can remain in proximity to the dog. And finally, it is small enough to be transported in the family car.
Juan Pugibet, of Villa Obergon, near Vera Cruz, Mexico, and Louis Andre Thebaud of Morristown, New Jersey were the two men who have been given most of the credit for introducing the Brittany to North America. Mr. Pugibet's CasaBlanca Kennels became famous in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. It was discovered that the Brittany adapted easily to the different climates but also it was easily trained to the different types of feathered game in the Americas. Prior to September 1, 1982 the Brittany was known in America as the Brittany Spaniel. The American Kennel Club officially changed the name to simply the Brittany. One of the reasons for this change was that the the manner in which the Brit hunts is more pointer-like than like a spaniel.
The Brit was brought to North America primarily to be used as a hunting dog. What is most fortunate for the Brittany breed is that the people involved in the Brittany Club, the sportsmen in the field and those doing conformation, have made sure that the standard for the field trials and for the show ring are the same. The Brittany people wanted to retain the beauty, elegance and structure within the show ring and also exhibit the instinct, intelligence and stamina in the field.
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