Hawkwise Brittanys -
hunt/point/retrievers par excellence
Welcome to the Home of Hawkwise Brittanys - hunt/point retrievers par excellence
Where did it start?
The Hawkwise kennel name was registered with the Kennel Club in 1995 -
but owner Steve Wright's first Brittany was bought for him, by his late wife Barbara, in 1987. After a 23 years service, as an instructor with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, Steve had turned his falconry hobby into a business and founded Heart of England Falconry in 1985 - and part of the projected income was to be derived from taking clients hawking with his trained birds.
Until then he had relied on beating cover with a stick to flush game out, but this was not as successful as he wanted. A pointing dog of some sort was obviously needed, but they already had a pack of ageing whippets, which were slowly 'rusting away'. Introducing a large, boisterous German pointer seemed unkind but, during a visit to Crufts Dog Show, they came across the much smaller Brittanys - at that time a newly imported breed. Unfortunately pups were in very short supply but Barbara came across a litter in the local paper and, after some research, bought one both as a surprise gift and an act of faith in the infant business. This tiny, black & white scrap, official name Walgoreg Emerillion - but called Nem after the French word eneme
for enema (as it was hoped she would flush everything out!) - was to become their foundation bitch.
Despite buying a lot of specialist books about pointing dogs Steve was perplexed by a complete lack of information on how this skill was taught. However Nem quickly dispelled his misgivings by pointing flies in the back yard from the age of eight weeks. This skill was honed over the summer months with the aid of our rabbit pen and a pair of aviary-kept silver pheasants. By the time autumn arrived Nem was ready and willing to work!
Her first point was in thick kale under a stag-headed oak. With the hawk cast up on to a convenient branch Nem was sent in to flush her quarry. Gratifyingly a cock pheasant rocketed out and, with the hawk in pursuit, took sanctuary in nearby woods. After a short wait, during which Nem confused Steve by remaining on point, the hawk returned and she was then able to flush out the hen bird as well. Over the years she proved a zealous huntress and earned a good reputation among local falconers and Steve's clients. In her latter years she was bred from and her six bitch pups were the first to carry the Hawkwise names.
I hope that you will want to read more about our dogs in the following pages - and that you will find them informative. The various pages are designed to cover specific areas. Just click the icon in the top lefthand corner of the sidebar.
Contact Steve Wright on 07395 094206 or email stevewright.falconer@virgin.net
Steve has been a member of the Brittany club of Great Britain since 1988 and has served on its committee since 2006, including 4 years as its Chairman. He is also a qualified 'Breed specialist' judge.
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me
created because owner Steve Wright