Eligible Registries: Any Acceptable Domestic or Foreign Registry

Contact: Portuguese Pointer Club of America, Mrs. Temple DaSilva, AKC Liaison, 289 Denison Hill Road, North Stonington, CT 06359; phone: 860-599-1661; email: GreenFallsHollow@comcast.net

• From the July 2007 Board Meeting - The Portuguese Pointer was approved to compete in AKC Pointer Hunt Tests for suffix titles effective January 1, 2008.
• From the May 2007 Board Meeting - The Portuguese Pointer will be eligible to compete in Companion Events effective January 1, 2008.
• From the July 2005 Board Meeting - Three new breeds were accepted into the Foundation Stock Service program: The Karelian Bear Dog, the Kishu Ken and the Portuguese Pointer.

The Portuguese Pointer (Perdigueiro Português) arose from the ancient Iberian hunting dogs with his presence in Portugal traceable to the early Twelfth Century. Initially the dog was bred in the royal kennels and but later became a very popular hunting dog for the lower classes of society. In the Eighteenth Century, many English families established a presence in the region of Oporto in the business of wine production and came to know the Portuguese hunting breed which was taken to England where they played a part in the origin of the English Pointer. However, during the Nineteenth Century when Portugal was experiencing considerable social hardships, the breed began a progressive decline. It wasn't until the 1920's when some breeders made an effort to salvage the breed by locating some of the ancient Portuguese dogs in the inaccessible north of Portugal. The Portuguese pedigree book was then established in 1932 and the breed standard in 1938.

For at least a thousand years, this dog has always had the same square head, a marked stop, triangular ears, and compact look.

• The Portuguese Pointer has been assigned the Sporting Group designation.
• There is evidence of the Portuguese Pointer in Portugal from as early as the Twelfth Century.
• Portuguese navigators took the Portuguese Pointer along in their ships during the time of the discovery of the Americas and the breed was used in the formation of popular breeds such as the Labrador Retriever and the English Pointer.
• The Portuguese Pointer was almost extinct by the 1920's.
• The Portuguese Pointer's affectionate nature is so intense that the Portuguese standard describes it as sometimes "inappropriate and inconvenient."
• The Portuguese Pointer is often used for hunting upland game birds as well as rabbit and waterfowl.
• The Portuguese Pointer has been recorded in the Foundation Stock Service since 2005.