Description:

8-weeks old 11/15/05
1-male 4-females

Close working, great personalities, staunch pointers, natural retrievers, and they thrive in a family environment.

Hunters all over the world prize a good hunting dog. It was this appreciation by hunters of the St. Usuge’s qualities as a superior hunting dog that saved the breed from the brink of extinction. The story of the St. Usuge Spaniel, a medium size breed from the Bresse region of France, is one of patience and dedication to a regional treasure.

In September 1945, after having being recently released from a POW camp, Robert Billard, a priest, is given a parish in the small town of Savigny- en- Revermont , within the departement of the Saone-et-Loire in the Bresse region of France. The Bresse region, located in the northern part of Burgundy, is a sporting paradise for hunters, where quail, pheasant and grouse hunting abound. Father Billard, an avid hunter, promptly begins his search for the perfect hunting dog. But he does not want just any dog, he wants a local dog, an l’Epagneul de Saint-Usuge (St.Usuge Spaniel.) He researches the archives of the Societe Centrale Canine (French equivalent of the AKC.) Although the ancestry of the breed can be traced back to the 16th Century, the last recording of the St.Usuge is of nine representatives of the breed being exhibited at a dog show in 1936, in the town of Louhans located 17 kilometers east of Savigny-en-Revermont. Armed with the breed standards from the 1936 dog show, Father Billard proceeds to visit all the grouse hunters in his parish until he finds a female St.Usuge "Poupette." Finding a husband for a dog which appears to be the last link of a disappearing breed proves to be another challenge for the good priest. In 1947 he succeeds by finding "Dick", the son of "Braco" best of show at the 1936 dog show in Louhans. To successfully resurrect the breed and avoid consanguinity, Father Billard continues to search the countryside for other males to breed to his female. In 1962, he imports a small Munsterlander female to incorporate into his breeding program, as that breed’s standards most closely resemble the St. Usuge’s. For thirty five years the Rectory of Savigny-en-Revermont is home to the renaissance of the breed, with Father Billard meticulously recording every birth. It is in 1980 that Father Billard turns over his labor of love to M. Serge Bey, a local conservation agent .

The St.Usuge is a superior hunting dog. It is a well balanced breed which is equally at home pointing and retrieving. The Bresse region being fairly marshy ,the St.Usuge excels as a water dog, especially hunting grouse. Armed with a keen nose he loves to flush , point, and will retrieve tirelessly. Extremely faithful to his master, he never strays more than 30 meters and is known as hunting "in his master’s boots." It is also a wonderful family pet who loves children. Easy to train, the St. Usuge is endowed with a docile and affectionate nature and can easily live in an apartment.

I own both parents and hunt them often. These dogs are very rare and I will require that you meet all our criteria before purchase.

A written guarantee of health is provided with each pup sold.

Mike