Original Works of art

This was the first dog to stand game in the sense which we use the term today. The breed first appeared in England around 1650 when he was used to point hare for coursing Greyhounds. As soon as shooting game on the wing became popular, around 1711, the English Pointer was used almost exclusively for pointing game birds. All authorities seem to agree that the breed came from the Iberian Peninsula, assuming that the word Pointer is derived from the Spanish punta, meaning "point."

Perhaps no Pointer fancier is better known than the sporting dog authority William Arkwright, author of The Pointer and its Predecessors. Illustrated by the artist Maud Earl, this volume has become a standard reference on the breed. Arkwright was elected to The Kennel Club in 1876, and later joined its Committee, contributing occasionally to The Kennel Club Gazette.

"Another prominent dog fancier and active field trial enthusiast was J.H. Salter, whom C.H. Lane wrote in Dog Showa and Doggy People: "To give any list of the dogs owned by Mr. Salter or the many and important prizes they have won would take up more space that I am able to give them; but I hope I have said sufficient to show that he is one of the very best types of Doggy people we have; and his cheery and courteous manners and hearty good fellowship have made him universally popular with all who enjoy the pleasure of his acquaintance...."

Many of these early dog show and field trial enthusiasts were evidently wealthy men, who had the leisure time to pursue their interests. Salter for instance, was an early member of The Kennel Club and as incredible as it may seem, during his lifetime he owned more than 1,000 Greyhounds, 300 Retrievers, 250 English Setters, 150 Field Spaniels, 1,000 Irish Setters, 50 Cockers, 12 Clumbers and nearly 100 Fox Terriers!