The Pointer Bay is a hybrid dog, a cross between two outstanding
hunting dogs, the German Shorthaired Pointer and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Although some version of the German
Shorthaired Pointer has been in existence
since the 18th century, the modern version of the German Shorthaired
Pointer was not developed until the late 19th century, and
refinements continued through the early part of the 20th century.
The German Shorthaired Pointer was designed to be a multi-purpose hunting dog,
one that could track, point, and retrieve
just about any type of game in any environment. Records of this breed’s
development are scarce but some of the breeds that are believed to have
contributed to the final product include Spanish Pointers, Braque Francais,
French Gascon, and several types of “blood scenting hounds” such as the Hanoverian Schweisshunds or the Weimaraner. The overall result was an
outstanding success as the modern German Shorthaired Pointer is well-suited to
tracking anything from quail to deer and retrieving
birds from both the land and the water. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a
little bit older than the German Shorthaired Pointer, but also a relatively new
breed of dog, developed in early 19th century in the Chesapeake Bay
area of the United States of America. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever breed can
trace their line back to two very specific St. John’s Newfoundland dogs, a black
colored female by the name of Canton and a red male named Sailor. These two
dogs were rescued from a shipwreck together off the coast of Maryland, and each
went to different owners. Although the two dogs were unrelated, they both had
the same intense drive to retrieve and
became well-known for their prowess in the icy waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
Due to these qualities, puppies from both of these dogs were in high demand,
and they were bred extensively, sometimes with other Newfoundland dogs and other
times with Flat and Curly-Coated Retrievers. Although these two dogs were never
bred to one another, their collective offspring were the foundation for the
Chesapeake Bay Retriever breed, a breed of well-built dogs that are usually brown in color, with short to
medium length waterproof coats that are thick and wavy, and with the same
intense drive to retrieve as Canton and Sailor, returning to the icy water over
and over again, sometimes retrieving up to a hundred birds a day.