The first Wirehaired Pointing Griffon arrived in the United States in 1887 as the Korthals Griffon, and with its arrival, it became the first of the Continental “all purpose” breeds to get AKC acceptance. However, it was registered incorrectly as a different breed, the Russian Setter, possibly because the word, “griffon,” wasn’t well known at the time. Even the breed’s creator, Eduard Karel Korthals,  didn’t use the word, “griffon,” until the 1880s. His name for the breed was originally smousbarts, and later when he moved to Germany, he used the German term Drahthaarige Vorstehhunde, translated as wire-haired pointing dogs.

Today, the breed is appreciated as a slow and methodical hunter capable of pointing and retrieving both on land and in water, but early on, the breed didn’t exactly hit the ground running. It never really caught on with hunters or field trialers, and the American dog press turned up its nose at a breed they thought was slow and unstylish. It wasn’t a fair assessment because at the time, America was wide open, largely unfenced, and a big running dog like a setter “ate up” real estate and impressed those who saw one in action.

Nevertheless, a breed club was formed in the U.S. in 1916, and and the follow two decades were kinder to the breed.  WWII, however,  was hard on a lot of breeds, and it hit the breed club hard. In fact, it folded. In the 50’s, interest in the Griff was renewed, and and enough enthusiasts warranted the formation of an AKC affiliated club, the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Club of America.

Image: German Wirehaired Pointer by David Burgess is available as fine art and in home decor and lifestyle items here