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Brittany (Spaniel) History
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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.
