Breed History: The Braque francais or French pointer can be traced back several centuries to the Gascony region of southern France. It is believed to be descended from Spanish and Italian pointers, which are believed to be the predicessors of all pointers and setters seen today. The Bf surived the social turmoil caused by the French Revolution in the late 1700's. Despite the many social and cultural changes, the breed continued as it had for centuries. As the 20th century drew near, the population began shifting from rural to urban areas. This resulted in a major shift within the breed. In as much as a 75 lbs. pointing dog was ill-suited for life a a city, a smaller version of the same breed began to develop. By 1920, the 2 different types of Bf became recognized. The larger version, the Bf-Gascogne, stands 22-27 inches tall at the shoulder and weighs 50-75 lbs. The smaller version, the Bf-Pyrenees, stands 19-23 inchs and weighs 40-55 lbs. In the 1970's, a Quebecois named Michel Gelinas, imported the first Bf-Pyrenees into North America. Addition imports were made into Quebec and the breed establish a foothold on this continent. By the late 1980's, a few dogs found their way into the United States. Breedings were very limited and the breed remained virtually unknown. In 1993, we bought our first Bf, a female, and imported a 9 month old male a year later. After falling in love with the breed, we began breeding on a limited, but somewhat regular basis. The breed was put on the map so-to-speak, following the publication of a feature article by Chad Mason, in the Dec '99-Jan '00 issue of Gun Dog magazine. You can read the article at: http://www.gundogmag.com/gundog_breeds/braque_082004/ The popularity of the Bf-Pyrenees continues to grow each and every year. While the bf-Pyrenees is beginning to flourish here in the United States and continues to flourish in Europe, the numbers of Gascogne are waning in Europe and have never been imported into Noth America in significant numbers.