Bouvier des Flandres

In Southwest Flanders and the northern French plain, 17th century farmers and cattlemen needed a dog who could work on various areas of the farms. They needed cattle herders, protectors for their stock, and even some brute muscle to pull carts, churn butter, and work the grist mill. The early days of Bouvier des Flandres breeding are often debated. Some believe it to be a cross between the mastiff, sheepdog, and even a spaniel breed. Others say it is a cross of the Beauceron and Griffon breeds. Back then, the men who bred them did so purely for function, and paid little attention to any kind of breed standard. This created a great variation in appearance. Regardless, they did exhibit enough characteristics in common to be considered the same breed. Originally, they were called by many names, including “koehond,” which translates as cow dog, “vuilbaard,” or dirty beard, or “toucheur de boeuf,” or cattle driver. The term “Bouvier” is a French word meaning oxherd or cowherd, and coupled with their region of origin, their modern name was born. Along the way, Adolphe Reul, a veterinarian at the Veterinary School of Brussels, pointed out the admirable qualities of the breed to the breeders of the area, though a standard was not adopted until 1912. During World War I, numbers of Bouviers dropped as their homelands were destroyed, but one who survived, named Nic de Sottegem, appeared in the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. His descendants can be found in almost every modern bloodline. The Bouvier was recognized by the AKC in 1931, and began to be imported in the United States. Today, the Bouvier has traded in the hard farm work of its origins for jobs such as police, military, rescue, and guide dogs.