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EXCELLENCE OF THE POINTER or Spanish in Origin and in Dogdoms Front Ranks The iri in of the pointer and its early history is u mutter of speculation like that of many other varieties of lo s The great naturalist Ituffon lield the oiiinion that all the different species of dogs iriginiUd from the shepherds dog The arliest work jirintid in the English language de scriliing tin various hrfttls of dogs was a Kook of Field Sports written by Dame Juliana IScrners it the end of the fourteenth century In this and later treatises no mention is found of the pointer by name but many Ixliove the Pointer existed in Knuland or Spain under another name even before this period sis a species of hound lemor lurcher or even a shorthaired spaniel spanielAn An ingenious argument has been advanced by writers to prove that the modern pointer is a descendant of the dog known as llraih which was supposfd to lisive been introduced in England durlug the Norman invasion The Unique is one oC the pointing dogs used in France and was formerly known under this name in Spain Portugal Italy md Germany Sir Walter Scott 17711832 makes reference in las works to the Bmch in his hunting scents and it is not unreasonable to sup ¬ pose that a pointing dog resembling the modern pointer in form and color existed in England before Hie advent oC the Spanish winter winterENGLISH ENGLISH POINTEE FEOM SPAIN SPAINThe The old Spanish pointer was introduced in Eng ¬ land in 1000 and was a loosemade dog about 2 iitthirK high and resembling the slow Southern hound The head was large ears thin and loose oat short and smooth and color similar to the IHiinter of today This dog was a valuable acquisi ¬ tion for it possessed a fine nose and required little training to stand at game gameThe The English pointer which is of course the jirutotpye of the modern pointer is acknowledged to be a cross either of the Spanish pointer and the southern hound or Brach or of the Spanish pointer ind the for hound When the pointer was taken np by the sportsmen of England the Duke of King ¬ ston had the reputation of possessing one of the finest strains and in the early part of the present century the strains reared by Mr Mattingly Webb Edge Lord Berwick and Lord Stamford may be considered to have done much to develop the breed For many years Devonshire was the great home of the pointer in England Mr Francis of Exeter and Sam Price of Devon being particularly suc ¬ cessful In breeding splendid examples of the breed Many of our best American dogs were also bred by Mr Price whose record dog Champion Wagg whelped in 1871 was perhaps the most famous of its breed in field trials and bench shows Another famous dog was Sir R Garths Drake while II J Lloyds Prices Belle has gone down iii dog history as a wonderful i oiuter oiuterAMERICAN AMERICAN TOIHTEBS QUALITY QUALITYIn In America the pointer has always occupied a high place Many fine dogs were imported from abroad by southerners before the war and by de ¬ grees these fine strains have produced the American pointer a sporting dog world famous for it gen em excellence on game Sefton by Star Lord Seftons Same Star by Cotter Macdonas Mi ¬ randa were some of the famous early dogs and ex ¬ cellent strains were bred about the same time by Mr Wisner Murray A C Wardell Capt J P White and other American sportsmen sportsmenThe The first effort at a bench show in this country was made in Chicago in 1874 the second held in Oswego in 1874 and the first real success was tlist of the show at New York in 1S77 1S77Other Other dogs have done much to make the pointer popular in America and Naso of Kippen Main ¬ spring King Bow Duke of Hessen Beaufort Me ¬ teor Dancer Sensations Son and Bang are but a few of the famous American strains These dogs together with many other native and imported specimens have done much in elevating the standard of pointer breeding in America and while many setter men may l le e loath to acknowledge it there is no question that the American pointer is worthy of liis place in the front rank of shooting dogs All Outdoors
