Travelers who prefer to vacation in off-the-beaten track destinations often find themselves investigating Galicia, possibly one of the most underrated regions in Spain. A lush region rich in culture with a tribal Celtic past, Galicia lays claim to four fairly rare dog breeds: In previous posts, we covered the Can de Palleiro (aka the “haystack dog”) and Galician Quisquelo (aka the Guicho), and we continue now with the Perdigueiro Galego.
The Perdigueiro Galego (known in English as the Galician Pointer) is an exceptionally rare regional pointer that teeters on the edge of extinction due to a variety of reasons. Some write that the breed suffered from being heavily crossbred with foreign dog imports, or replaced or nearly absorbed by other pointer types starting in the 70s. Others add that a decline in local game populations triggered a dramatic fall in breed numbers.
The breed’s origins reach back centuries, its ancestry possibly linked to bracco-type pointing dogs brought by Romans into the Iberian Peninsula. Over time, these imports mixed with local dogs in Galicia—an area marked by rugged forests, scrublands, and rolling hills, and the end result was a pointer eminently suited for the area’s terrain. For generations, the breed was cherished by Galician sportsmen for its natural scenting abilities, reliable pointing, and retrieving of game birds such as partridge, quail, and woodcock. However, in the 1970s, an influx of foreign pointer breeds and a decline in local game populations triggered a dramatic fall in breed numbers, threatening the Galician Pointer’s continued existence.
The alarming decline lead to conservation efforts beginning in earnest around the turn of the 21st century: a formal stud-book was opened in 2001 and a local breed club (Club de Raza do Perdigueiro Galego) was formed to identify, register and encourage breeding of the best surviving specimens. Spanish national regulations governing recognition of breed societies and stud-books also apply, while the regional government of Galicia maintains the breed’s technical profile. These administrative steps have helped stabilize interest but have not turned the Perdigueiro Galego into a widely seen dog outside its homeland. Indeed, today, the Galician Pointer’s status is generally regarded as “in danger of extinction,” with only scattered individuals actively registered and bred today, mostly in areas like Ourense, Lugo, and sporadic parts of Coruña and Pontevedra.
Hopefully, the conservation efforts that began in earnest at the turn of the 21st century didn’t come too late. Endeavors led to the creation of a studbook in 2001 managed by the Club de Raza do Perdigueiro Galego, and it has come to be recognized officially by the Spanish Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (Ministry of Agriculture), as well as the regional Xunta de Galicia. At this time, the breed isn’t recognized by Spain’s national kennel club, the Real Sociedad Canina de España (RSCE), nor by major international registries such as the FCI, AKC, or United Kennel Club,
Because the Pointer stands as a living relic of Spain’s diverse canine history—it is hoped that this tenacious, loyal, and athletic gun dog is saved by its few, but passionate guardians.
And folks, try as we might, we were unable to find a photo of this breed and used silhouettes instead. But to see the breed click here.
