The Braque du Bourbonnier originated in the Bourbonnais region of France in the 16th century, bred by hunters for hunting quail. It was small and agile, with a pear-shaped head and a distinctively marked coat, heavily ticked and sometimes with spots, varying between faded lilac and fawn. The tail was naturally short, and sometimes the Bourbonnais was born without a tail at all. It was a setter/pointer, and tamed up naturally with its master on the hunt. The Braque du Bourbonnais appeared to have thinned out during World War I, and to have completely died out after the second World War. A Frenchman, Michel Comte, was responsible for reviving the breed by looking for similar characteristics in mixed breeds. He then bred and strained these according to documented physical traits of the Braque du Bourbonnais. After selective inbreeding and contributions from other interested dog owners, the revived Braque du Bourbonnais was registered in the 1970's, and a club was subsequently founded that helped the breed grow again.
Braque du Bourbonnais
