Pointer Bay

The Pointer Bay is a hybrid dog, a cross between two outstanding hunting dogs, the German Shorthaired Pointer and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Although some version of the German Shorthaired Pointer has been in existence since the 18^th century, the modern version of the German Shorthaired Pointer was not developed until the late 19^th century, and refinements continued through the early part of the 20^th century. The German Shorthaired Pointer was designed to be a multi-purpose hunting dog, one that could track, point, and retrieve just about any type of game in any environment. Records of this breed’s development are scarce but some of the breeds that are believed to have contributed to the final product include Spanish Pointers, Braque Francais, French Gascon, and several types of “blood scenting hounds” such as the Hanoverian Schweisshunds or the Weimaraner. The overall result was an outstanding success as the modern German Shorthaired Pointer is well-suited to tracking anything from quail to deer and retrieving birds from both the land and the water. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a little bit older than the German Shorthaired Pointer, but also a relatively new breed of dog, developed in early 19^th century in the Chesapeake Bay area of the United States of America. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever breed can trace their line back to two very specific St. John’s Newfoundland dogs, a black colored female by the name of Canton and a red male named Sailor. These two dogs were rescued from a shipwreck together off the coast of Maryland, and each went to different owners. Although the two dogs were unrelated, they both had the same intense drive to retrieve and became well-known for their prowess in the icy waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Due to these qualities, puppies from both of these dogs were in high demand, and they were bred extensively, sometimes with other Newfoundland dogs and other times with Flat and Curly-Coated Retrievers. Although these two dogs were never bred to one another, their collective offspring were the foundation for the Chesapeake Bay Retriever breed, a breed of well-built dogs that are usually brown in color, with short to medium length waterproof coats that are thick and wavy, and with the same intense drive to retrieve as Canton and Sailor, returning to the icy water over and over again, sometimes retrieving up to a hundred birds a day.