The rise of the working mongrel
Pennine pointer. It’s not a breed recognised by the Kennel Club and it’s not really a breed at all, but it is a tough, all-round gundog that has been produced by gamekeepers working on the grouse moors of the Pennines.
They wanted a dog that was happy to work in the most challenging of conditions and one that could hunt, point and retrieve. There were plenty of existing options open to them — why not a Hungarian wirehaired vizsla, for example? However, they were after something different and that’s what they have achieved.
As far as I can gather, the one essential for a Pennine pointer is German wirehaired pointer (GWP) blood. The GWP is the most popular breed of working gundog in its native Germany but, perhaps surprisingly, it was its shorthaired cousin that first became established in
