Edmee Bowles and the
Bouviers du Clos des Cerberes

Jim Engel

In many ways, the story of the Bouvier des Flandres in America really began in May of 1942 with the arrival of Edmee Bowles.  Miss Bowles had bred the Bouvier for some ten years at her family estate near the Belgian city of Schilde when she was driven from her home by the German invasion.  She is without question the founder of the breed in America, indeed is recognized as among the founders of our breed by Chastel, Verbanck and the general European Bouvier community.

Miss Bowles was born in  Antwerp, Belgium on June 22nd of 1899, and except for fairly lengthy periods in England  during the First World War and while attending school spent the first forty years of her life in Belgium.  Although her mother was from an old and influential Belgian family, her father was British.  Her parents were separated, apparently during the war, and the twenties and thirties were spent mostly living on a family estate near Schilde, which is a few kilometers east of Antwerp. 

She mentions having a Bouvier as a child in the early years of this century, and that later, being unable to find another, she had a couple of rough coated Sheepdogs which would be called Laekens today.  When she began serious breeding efforts she established her "du Clos des Cerberes" line in 1932.  This name is taken from Cerberus, the three-headed dog who in Greek mythology guards the gates of hell.  In French "Clos" means a sanctuary or shelter; the Bowles line is thus of "the sanctuary of Cerberus."  It is a proud name, and for over fifty years she produced a line of Bouviers worthy to carry it, making it her life's work.

She was just coming into her own when the German invasion devastated her world, and the world of the Bouvier, for the second time in a generation.  As a consequence of her participation in the resistance she was forced to flee to America, abandoning most of her Bouviers.  But her early efforts were not entirely in vain, for in spite of the terrible ravages of war some of her Bouviers appear in the Belgian registry in the latter forties.

The story of the Bowles participation in the resistance and her precarious exit from Europe is an epic tale.  She, her mother and seven year old Belco spent many months working their way across France, one step behind an open sea port and half a step ahead of the Germans.  Finally, months later, they were successful in boarding a liner for America in Portugal.  She never learned the fate of many of the remainder of her Bouviers.

Upon arriving in America in 1942 she spent the remaining war years participating in the Dogs for Defense program, striking back in some small way at her German tormenters, for at least one of her Bouviers was lost in action on the shores of Europe.

On September 13, 1943 the first American born "du Clos des Cerberes" litter was produced by Belco out of George Young's female Lisa, yielding Marius who would become the first "du Clos des Cerberes" American champion.  As mentioned above, Lisa was a daughter of Ch. Bojar van Westergoo.  Jan du Clos des Cerberes, brother to Marius, served with Dogs for Defense and was returned to her after the war.  In this period Bowles was living in Chestnut Hills in Pennsylvania.

Among the earliest advocates of the Bouvier in America was Julius Bliss, who worked with Miss Bowles during the war.  The genealogy of the dog Dombey, bred by Bliss and whelped February 16, 1945, illustrates the early blood lines: 

                           Arie van het Polderleven  NHSB.31690
                 Belco  NHSB.45565 '35
                           Gardenia  NHSB.28849
        Jan du Clos des Cerberes
                           Ch. Bojar van Westergoo  NHSB.43317 '36
                 Ch. Lisa   '37
                           Coba uit het Zuiderlicht
  DOMBEY '45
                           Kamboro  D Ch'36; NHSB.24563
                 Ch. Bojar van Westergoo  NHSB.43317 '36
                           Alexandrina Olga v Marberg  NHSB.30628
        Inga '40
                           Koller des Champs Clos  LOSH.76690
                 Lariane  LOSH.90217 '37 (imp Julius Bliss)
                           Maria de Biercee  LOSH.57021

Lariane, born in 1937, was a daughter of Maria de Biercee who was a littermate of Albionne de Biercee, Chastel's foundation bitch and the dam of the first de la Thudinie Bouvier.  She was imported by Julius Bliss and bred to George Young's Bojar van Westergoo to produce Inga.

Inga was one of the first Bliss litter, of four, whelped April 21, 1940.  Unfortunately Bliss died in the latter forties, and Dombey went to Miss Bowles.  The passing of Julius Bliss was a great loss for the Bouvier in America, for he had been one of the breeds most selfless advocates.  For Bowles in particular it was a heavy blow, for Bliss had provided her support and encouragement.  It was to be several years, until '49 or '50, before serious breeding could commence.

In October of 1946 Bowles acquired a rustic old farm near Collegeville, Pennsylvania just northwest of Philadelphia.  The character of this ancient house was a perfect match for that of the woman herself:  both were rugged survivors.  Belco, the last direct link with her European program, died, apparently as preparations to move were underway, and the place has been known as Belco farm to this day.  For me the place was always the essence of the American Bouvier, inhabited by the ghosts of Marius, Jasper and Altair.  There were pencil sketches of Dombey and Marius at Belco farm by Miss Bowles, that have always personified the spirit of this era.

The later forties and early fifties were incredibly hard; puppies, whole litters, were put down because there was no one to buy this almost unknown breed.  From 1943 through 1948 only eighteen Bouviers were registered in the United States, an average of only three a year.  Bowles built a grooming and boarding business (and bred Poodles, also very successful in the show ring) in order to support her then fragile Bouvier breeding program.

Although the arrival of Edmee Bowles during the Second World War was a precursor of things to come, she was destined to labor in substantial isolation for a number of years.  After a small flurry of activity during and immediately after the war, the late forties were a sparse time indeed.  From 1945 through 1948 only a total of seven Bouvier pups were registered.

Most of the early dogs, such as Belco and Bonaparte van Darling-Astrid, had been of Dutch lines, although in the late forties Miss Bowles apparently did obtain one or two French bitches which she was not able to register because the French registration was not recognized by the AKC at that time.  Bonaparte, born on April 23 in 1950, was imported by Evert van de Pol, and was later sold to Fred Walsh at the Deewal kennel.

Over the years Bowles imported a number of significant bitches, the first being four year old Wandru des Coudreaux who came to the United States in February of 1953.  Wandru was an exceptional animal from a predominant French kennel, a major step forward for the Bouvier in America.  One of her chief attractions was that she was a proven brood bitch.  Indeed, her daughters in Europe included Almyre des Coudreaux, who was a well know French Champion who Miss Bowles used as a model for her famous profile head sketch.  This likeness is the emblem of the American club and is no doubt the most widely used depiction in the history of the breed.  Wandru's sister Wanda also has a significant place in French pedigrees of the era.

The sale of Wandru had been arranged by Felix Verbanck after extensive correspondence, much of which has come into my hands and provided a great deal of insight into the history of this era on both sides of the Atlantic.  (Verbanck had the connections to overcome the problem of registering French dogs with the AKC, probably by arranging Belgian registration prior to shipment.)  Wandru had been bred before leaving Europe, but apparently failed to conceive or lost her litter during the nineteen-day Atlantic passage.  Perhaps the most notable of her offspring was Si Jolie du Clos des Cerberes, whelped in 1954, who would become the dam of Rostan.

Rostan was a big dog with excellent type.  His pedigree is in many ways a summary of American Bouvier history to that point in time:

                                    Arie van het Polderleven  NHSB.31690
                          Belco  NHSB.45565 '35
                                    Gardenia  NHSB.28849
                Marius du Clos des Cerberes  Ch; '43
                                    Bojar van Westergoo  '36 NHSB.43317
                          Lisa  Ch; '37
                                    Coba uit het Zuiderlicht
       Bel Ami du Clos des Cerberes  '52
                                    Athos Allette de Teugenaar  D Ch'40
                          Basko Aleida v d Zaanhoeve  D Ch'43; NHSB.72632
                                    Aleida Santa v d Zaanhoeve  NHSB.60337
                Ellyrdia  Ch; NHSB.117114 '47
                                    Dormento  NHSB.58856
                          Silta  '45 NHSB.94880
                                    Arina Ivana v Lexmonde  NHSB.79622 '42
 Ch Rostan du Clos des Cerberes '58
                                    Belco  NHSB.45565 '35
                          Jan du Clos des Cerberes
                                    Lisa  Ch; '37
                Dombey
                                    Bojar van Westergoo  '36 NHSB.43317
                          Inga
                                    Lariane  LOSH.90217 '37
       Si Jolie du Clos des Cerberes  '54
                                    Jaf du Chateau de Villers  LOF1104
                           Samos des Trois Iles  LOF1281
                                    Rita de la Gueulardiere
                Wandru des Coudreaux  '48 LOF3736
                                    Ravachol  LOSH.110805
                          Uada du Gratte-Saule  B Ch; LOSH.127972
                                    Silane de la Thudinie  LOSH.117337

In this pedigree Jan du Clos des Cerberes, litter mate of Marius, had served in the Dogs for Defense program and been returned after the war.  Lisa was handled by Miss Bowles to become the first Champion bitch in America.  

Ellyrdia, from  Evert van de Pol on the west coast, was one of a litter of eight born on September 27 in 1947 out of Silta, who had been imported in whelp from Holland.  Silta lived to be some fourteen years old.  Two littermates, Ciskoldo and Riasta, finished their championships on the west coast and Miss Bowles went on to show Ellyrdia to her championship.  Interestingly enough, this litter is included in the Dutch breeding records with Mr. van de Pol listed as breeder of record.

Felix Verbanck, in his letters to Bowles, expressed great concern that van de Pol was introducing the "wrong type of Bouvier" into America, and perhaps part of the motivation for his efforts to secure really good Belgian dogs for people such as Bowles, the Hubbards and the Walshes was the desire to see Belgian rather than Dutch concept of the correct Bouvier predominate.  My opinion is that he was correct, that the most desirable Bouvier type is that exemplified by dogs such as the Belgian Champion Soprano de la Thudinie, that is, powerful, square, agile dogs of moderate size, short in back and not excessive in angulation.

Certain Dutch dogs in this era, such as Roland van Domburg, also exhibited many of these qualities.  In retrospect it seems fair to say that the Dutch show lines, while evolving in in a way similar to the Belgians, were behind and in particular were not sending their best dogs here.  It was to a great extent Verbanck's attention to the American pioneers and his help in providing so many good Belgian dogs that turned the tide in favor of Belgian influence in the fifties and sixties.  There was no one to play the role of advocate for the Americans in Holland as Verbanck had in Belgium.

About 1962 Bowles imported Remado's Katleen from Belgium with the assistance of Verbanck, whose nephew Maurice Dauwe was the breeder.  This young bitch, five months old when imported, was from a litter destined to be pivotal for the Bouvier in Europe as well as a corner stone of the Bowles line.  Her sister Kitty was to yield Marc de la Thudinie, a key element in the Chastel program.  A male, Remado's Kandy, was a significant stud dog for Edmond Moreaux, and his get are particularly prominent in modern Dutch pedigrees.

Katleen was bred to Rostan to produce Telstar du Clos des Cerberes and Chef de Truffe to produce Schandor.  Out of a grandson of littermate Kitty (a son of Marc himself) Katleen produced Brabo, who was to become the sire of several notable Bouviers, most particularly including Jasper du Clos des Cerberes.

Bowles, in her seventies and rendered less active by health and circumstance, had been written off by many when Jasper emerged from the classes to win the 1971 American Bouvier des Flandres national specialty at the Westchester Kennel Club.  His pedigree is a summary of the Bowles program in the 60's:

                                    Job de la Thudinie  B/A Ch; '60
                          Marc de la Thudinie  Ch; '63
                                    Remado's Kitty  '61
                Picard des Preux Vuilbaards  Ch
                                    Lais du Posty Arlequin  '62
                          Nota du Posty Arlequin  Ch
                                    Lolo du Posty Arlequin
       Brabo du Clos des Cerberes  '68
                                    Fricko de Belgique  LOSH.175335
                          Ike de Belgique  '59
                                    Erna de Belgique
                Remado's Katleen  Ch; '61
                                    Ely  B Ch; LOF.1.Bouv.8808 '55
                          Irisa de l'Ile Monsin
                                    Balta de l'Ile Monsin  B Ch
 Ch JASPER DU CLOS DES CERBERES  '70
                                    Coquin de la Thudinie  Ch
                          Chef de Truffe  Ch; '58
                                    Draga de la Thudinie  Ch
                Schandor du Clos des Cerberes  Ch; '65
                                    Ike de Belgique  '59
                          Remado's Katleen  Ch; '61
                                    Irisa de l'Ile Monsin
       Altair du Clos des Cerberes  Ch; '68
                                    Rostan du Clos des Cerberes  Ch
                          Telstar du Clos des Cerberes  Ch; '62
                                    Remado's Katleen  Ch; '61
                Aurega du Clos des Cerberes  Ch; '65
                                    Hardy l'Ideal de Charleroi
                          Deewal Marzie's Lamb  '62
                                    Deewal Katona  Ch; '57

Miss Bowles never had the financial resources to special her best dogs, that is extensively show established champions in order to accumulate best of breed and group show placements, or for extensive use of professional handlers.  She nevertheless placed her own dogs in the group and held her own in the American show ring against several generations of top Belgian imports in the hands of professional handlers.

Chef de Truffe was a beautiful male, purchased by Bowles from Robert and Joan Butts in Springfield, Illinois to became one of her important stud dogs.  Butts and his wife had, in the middle to late 50's, taken an interest in the Bouvier, traveling in Europe and importing Coquin de la Thudinie and Draga de la Thudinie who produced Chef.  Butts died suddenly in the early sixties, cutting short what could have been an important Bouvier story in its own right.

When I first went to Belco Farm Altair was still a magnificent bitch even though more than ten years old - short coupled with an exquisite top line and incredible movement.  Her dam Aurega had been received in lieu of a stud fee, and was subsequently sold to the Blanford kennel in Michigan, where she produced several notable dogs.

Jasper marked a resurgence for Bowles, for in the same period she imported Tania du Posty Arlequin, in whelp to Sim de Bronchain, and later exchanged a pup out of Jasper with Chastel for Xurie de la Thudinie. The pup which went to Chastel became Xiran du Clos des Cerberes, a male who produced several Thudinie litters and was also used by at least one other Belgian breeder.

 It is interesting and instructive that Miss Bowles never did import a stud dog, believing the bitches to be the foundation of a long-term breeding program and using to good advantage the dogs imported by others. 

The Bowles story is so extraordinary that there is sometimes the tendency to doubt, to wonder about embellishment.  As an example, in the early years Bowles mentioned Bouviers being bred in Detroit in the twenties, which seemed at the time a bit farfetched.  But when we ultimately obtained the complete Belgian records through Annie Verheyen there they were, several litters born on Mack Avenue in Detroit two blocks from the bus route I had ridden to college so many years ago.  Virtually everything mentioned in the early Bowles conversations ultimately proved to be literally true as my research commenced.

Some have portrayed Bowles as a show breeder, and claimed her concern for character as mythical, as invented after the fact.  In her conversations Bowles described in considerable detail training "with the club in the village" and was certainly a remarkable activity for an upper class Belgian woman in the thirties. There were detailed descriptions of the training of Belco and his mother, and talk about holding the record for a wall climb at something like sixteen feet, which may have been a local or club record.  When she came to America in the early forties there was of course no formal training, and by the time Schutzhund finally emerged in the in the mid-seventies she was in that age group too. Furthermore, there was nothing to be gained by inventing working credentials in that era, nobody was buying Bouviers as actual working dogs so there would have been no particular motivation to fabricate or embellish

Through Bouviers such as Jasper, Altair and Aurega the Bowles line became justly famous in the sixties and seventies, particularly for exceptional top lines, short coupling and excellent movement.  These attributes, and their predominance in the progeny, have had a strong and beneficial effect on the over all quality of American Bouviers.

Although the early du Clos des Cerberes lines no longer predominate in American Bouviers as they did through the fifties, the line that began again with Belco carries forward even to today, more than half a century later.  In addition, Bowles paved the way for the imports of others in the later fifties and early sixties, particularly those of Fred and Dorthy Walsh and Robert Abady.  Thus while Chastel and the others in Belgium were creating the modern Bouvier, Bowles in America was preparing the way for the fruit of his labor, playing a major role in establishing the comparable American heritage. And even the very earliest dogs live, for the blood of Belco and Marius and Rostan flows in the dogs so many of us share our lives with today.

Each of us who loves a Bouvier shares in the Bowles legacy, it is perhaps appropriate that we on occasion take a few moments to reflect on what the half century of tenacious dedication of Edmee Bowles means to us in our own lives and in our own Bouviers.

Jim Engel, Marengo    © Copyright 1985, updated 2007

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