David Hayes, Bill Dillon, HX Guelou (Artenay)

Several of the members of the board of directors met in France for the spring field trials and since they were there for an extended length of time they had the opportunity to tour kennels and meet breeders, handlers and many wonderful people. They came back with much information and so many pictures, we can hardly do justice by trying to put it in print. But we would like to share with the members a summary of the tour through photographs on the website. A full article will be written on the trials themselves and printed in the next club magazine which will go into more detail. Bill Dillon, President, began his trip in Ireland and continued on to France. RL Dalrymple, Peter and Margaret Ward joined him there. When they were not at field trials elsewhere in France, they spent most of their time in Brittany, the birth place of our breed, touring the kennels and meeting with people in Callac and elsewhere within Bretagne..

Henri Guelou, a judge and confirmateur in France, as well as a director of the board of the CEB of France, invited them to walk with him during the field trials while he was judging at both the field trials in Fosse and the field trial in Artenay where the CEB of France holds their big spring event. This was a great honor and privilege afforded to few for which we are truly appreciative.

D. Bagot, Judge, B. Dillon

This club was formed in 1997 because owners and breeders of french brittanys across this country came together out of their love and admiration of the all the characteristics that make this breed what we all loved from the moment we got our first one in an effort to protect the breed in the U.S. The characteristics that have been retained by France's methods are what makes the epagneul breton so special to us all. However, uninformed breeding practices can quickly alter a breed when choices are made to breed for color, for big run, or for only hunting ability or for only conformation (show).
This club's policies and goals have always focused on one end result: to improve and perpetuate 1.The natural hunting ability and instincts, 2. Temperament 3. Soundness. and 4. Conformation of epagneul bretons produced in this country. Thus it was decided at the organizational meeting that this association would set its goals and purposes towards preserving and propagating what the French have perfected over decades. Policies adopted at that first meeting included temporary registration of dogs until confirmed (which was put on hold until sufficient confirmateurs could be trained regionally so as to not put an undo burden on the dog owner), to utilize the TAN (testing for natural ability), hold field trials based on European methods, and to hold conformation shows to inspire breeders to breed within the FCI standard for the breed.

We have for the past several years conducted unofficial (fun) events, and after proper preparation began sanctioned TAN's in 2001 under the guidance of a judge from France. We began official confirmations of dogs in 2000. We have had the FCI field trial rules translated into English, which was a lengthy and arduous task in preparation for our club's field trials, and have developed all of the conformation show rules, which will be put into play at this year's first national specialty. Aligning our club's methods precisely with the methodolgy utilized in France is of

Nacre du Fosse de la Tannie Owner/Handler: Marco

Freddy Celen, President Belgium CEB  Dog: Yorik Patryzenveld

Point on Grey Partridge, Artenay