I have done alot of reading, and the reason that Pointers have come up high on our lists is due to a few factors.

1) How they enacted with horses, small animals, other dogs. The pointer has high marks with all of these, particularly the English Pointer as it was not bred to kill, but rather just to flush.

2) Easy of coat care. While I like setters and such, i like a short hair dog so i dont have to be washing it all the time. The pointer says once every six months is sufficient.

3) We intend to have a half acre or more, so lots of running room, as well as my gf wanting a dog that she can take along horseback riding. The Pointer is supposed to have a good off leash range and should be safe near horses.

I have always liked labs and other dogs of the sort, but we were just looking for a dog that was optimum with other animals. My old lab/shepherd mix was a wonderful dog with people, but not with other dogs, and multiple run ins with neighbors just makes me wary.

And of course we find the Pointer to be an endearing and attractive breed, big enough to make her feel safe, and friendly enough to feel comfortable around people. We will probably not be hunting with them, but will probably train them in such trades just to stimulate them.