There are so many good “bird dogs” that it’s difficult to place one over the other, particularly when our breeds are often “specialists.” Some breeds are “flushers” extraordinaire, others excel at locating birds, and still others still will point until they drop, figuratively speaking. What made the Pointer a premier bird dog in the minds of many was its accomplishment at performing the entire range of what a hunting dog could do.  The dog located the birds by scent, then alerted the hunter by literally pointing them out, and then, either by signal, or when the hunter approached, flushing the birds and sending them scattering into the air. For hunters who were “wing shooters” (shooting the game in the air), these were valued attributes in one dog.

Pointer by Edwin Megargee. For a wonderful read on this artist, click here.