The Old Spanish Pointer, or Perro de Punta Español, is an extinct
breed (or
landrace
A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and pastoralism, and due to isolatio ...
) of
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
originating in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, believed to be the ultimate ancestor of almost all
pointing dogs.
History
In 1644,
Alonso Martínez de Espinar
Alonso Martínez de Espinar (5 May 158814 May 1682) was a Spanish courtier and one of three important writers on venery of the Spanish Baroque. He was a ''ballestero'' ("crossbowman") and arquebusier to several kings of Spain.
Life
Martí ...
described the forerunner of the modern pointers as "a very hard-working animal, with an inexhaustible agility which endures running from morning to night without stopping. Some are so light that they seem to fly above the ground and skillfully tracking and stopping at the spot where the bird is which is being hunted by those behind them."
Although Spain is the origin of the
pointing dogs, the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
most often mentioned the Spanish Pointer and brought the dogs to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the 17th and 18th centuries. Stonehengue, a pointer cinófilo scholar, wrote in the late 19th century, that the dog was selectively bred to be faster by only using lighter and faster specimens.
David Taylor, a veterinarian who runs an international veterinary organization, stated that the Spanish Pointer was introduced in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
and crossed with
Greyhounds
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
and English
Foxhounds, resulting in the
English Pointer.
Similarly, in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in the 17th century, the
German Shorthaired Pointer
The German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) is a medium to large sized breed of pointing dog developed in the 19th century in Germany for hunting. A versatile hunting breed, being an all-purpose gun dog suitable for both land and water, they are strea ...
was the result of crossing
German Hounds, Spanish Pointers and
Bloodhound
The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ...
s.
The
pachón navarro is generally seen as the dog breed most closely resembling the Old Spanish Pointer.
Last records
The oldest recorded painting of the Spanish Pointer in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
is a painting by
Peter Tillemans
Peter Tillemans ( 1684 – 5 December 1734)Noakes, Aubrey, ''Sportsmen in a Landscape'' (Ayer Publishing, 1971, )pp. 47–56: ''Peter Tillemans and Early Newmarket''at books.google.com, accessed 7 February 2009. ONDB writes: "In 1733 Tillemans re ...
, created in 1725.
Stories report that during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, a
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
merchant took one Spanish Pointer from Spain and gifted it to Baron Bichel of
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
.
The dog exists in Spain under the name Perdiguero de Burgo
See also
*
List of dog breeds
*
List of extinct dog breeds
The following is a list of Extinction, extinct dog breeds, varieties, landraces and types.
List of extinct dog breeds, varieties, landraces and types
References Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEF ...
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Pointing breed
References
External links
*
{{Extinct breeds of dog
Gundogs
Pointers
Dog breeds originating in Spain
Extinct dog breeds