French Brittany
As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
The French have been keyholed to being chefs and makers of cheese and wine, but there is a tradition which for some reason has been lost, among the Anglo Saxon, or English, English and German dog breeds for hunting. It is a shame really, as the greatest water hunting dog was the French Poodle, poodle means "puddle" in German.
So I thought I would introduce you to some of the most wonderful of upland game hunting dogs which no one has ever heard of, which rival anything the Germans ever created.
epagneul francais
The French Spaniel is unique in one can see the spaniel lines, but the French have refined the breed to almost Setter status. They are absolutely gorgeous dogs which remind one of the early Irish Setter, which did come in white and red, before they were standardized.
epagneul picard
The Picardy Spaniel, for the region, is perhaps my favorite of the French dogs, for the very reason they are such daring hunters, equally the dual nature of all the hunting breeds of Europe from the royal hunts.
Europeans neeed fur and feather dogs. A dog could be expected to trail, blood trail, flush grouse to stag and even boar, as that is what a hunts was.
This of a proud French hund, carrying a fox, is testament to the greatness of the breed as the most versatile of breeds, and I think they are just beautiful.
epagneul du pont audemer
Whenever I see the epagneul du pont audemer, the Spaniel from Audemer, I smile as they remind me of King Louis with is poofy hair. These are wire haired and built for the cold of the marshes of northwest France for retrieving game
Like all the French breeds, they are easily trained, are loyal to their masters and of wonderful temperament in being easy to get along with in stupid humans they own, and train.
I consider the greatest curse in life after Noah is the short life span of humans and poverty, because if I has been wealthy, most dozen estates would have all been filled with these dogs, from France, Ireland, Germany and England.
I simply love the French Spaniels, because they look nothing like English Spaniels, in they look instead like the beauty of continental breeds in the Setters and the Pointers.
I know there are the Braques in the Francais, Saint Germain and the d'Auvergne, who are the keen trailing dogs, who are mirror images of the German Short Hair and Drahthaar or Wire Hair, but Braque like the Germans are of the family of hund, or hounds, in trailing dogs of multi purpose use, which lean to more the pointer look and stance.
The Pointer is all business, while the French Spaniels or Setter always have that quality, "this is business ,but it is my business to look beautiful as I enjoy myself". That is why these breeds delight me at heart. They simply love being all they are and nothing in them will ever dissuade them of how wonderful they are.
Braque Francais
There has been far too much Paris identity of the French, in being bourgeois, when the true character of the French is they from Quebec to the fields of France, are a William the Conqueror peoples in their souls. A people can not breed hunting dogs with the looks these French breeds have and be sipping wine and nibbling croissant as a life's goal. These are people who are of a purpose and every bit the equal of the American, Anglo and Saxon.
If only I could not play with every one of these breeds and enjoy watching them work in hunting game. I would so love to have that luxury. What beauty France has is not in museums, the beauty is in their hunting dogs.
Nuff Said
agtG
