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Bouvier des Flandres -- News, Views and History
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The Bouvier des Flandres is a protective heritage canine working breed, derived from the cattle and farm dogs of Flandres in North Western Belgium. From time to time I have comments Jim Engel Marengo, Illinois
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 Award Winning Book |
High Resolution Bouvier Photo Large file, slow on dial up link...
Protection Video Clip Aug 2004
| 2007 American Club Specialty | Who will forgive them ? |
| Belco and I | Miss Edmee F. Bowles |
| Edmee Bowles | and the Bouviers du Clos des Cerberes |
| A Dog of Flandres | Propaganda and lies. |
| Medical Screening | Sep 2006 The Road to Extinction ? |
| Plain Truth | Jun 2003 |
| Working Trials | Feb 2003 Where is this real world ? |
| Surender in Europe | Feb 2002 The heritage flickers out.. |
| Genocide | Feb 2002 On cropping and docking |
| What is a Bouvier | Sep 2001 |
| Show & Work | 1997 Fact and Fiction |
| Resurrection | 1998 |
| Destined to Die | 1997 |
| KNPV Reflections | 1996 | The Color Black | 1996 |
| Elephant Bouviers ? | 1997 |
| Courage and Hardness | 1996 |
| Charting the Course | 1994 |
| Premonitions of a Traveler | 1993 The beginning of the end. |
| Donar | 1985 On the occasion of his death. |
| A Visit With Chastel | Belgian Magazine Commentary |
| Bowles on Character | By Edmee Bowles |
| Notes From the Homelands | Direct from the Belgian Club |
| Frequently Asked Questions | |
| Glossary | |
| Breeder List | |
| Books | |
| Jeffrey Bragg Breeding Article | Every working dog person needs to read this |
| Bragg Web Site |
| ALL Breed Content | Articles of all breed interest are now on this page. |
| Bouvier History Page | |
| All Breed Canine Links |
Selected Working Line Pedigrees
Borissio
Photos:
Cendrillo de l'Ile Monsin
Early Belgian Police Photo
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RELATED WEB SITES : NAWBA Free Press AWDF Free Press Centauri Bouvier Kennel Bouvier Kennel Caya's Home Comments ? Send a note: jimengel@mc.net |
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Once upon a time, on a Bouvier list from which I have long since been expelled for telling the truth and being smarter than the censor, I was called the "Angel of Marengo" in a moment of frustration. Since "Engel" is angel in German, and since the implication was more of the fallen variety, the name immediately became well accepted.
Although it took a decade to fully realize it and accept it, I came to believe in the Bouvier as a working dog in an era when his slide into oblivion was just passing the point of no return, when the hypocrisy of the breeders and leadership, in Europe as well as America, was destroying the last vestige of the gift of the founders. A few of us thought we could turn the tide of history, but we underestimated the power of the show breeders, for whom the dog show game is in the most fundamental sense a political process dedicated to vanity, stupidity and greed. Time and again efforts to restore the breed as a working dog have been perverted into more self serving propaganda in the service the age old show breeder lie: "Show dogs can do it to All of the clubs, the magazines, the breeders and the judges talk nice in public, affirm that they really do believe that the Bouvier is a working dog, have ringing slogans about the character of the breed. But its a pack of lies, pure and simple. In reality all they care about is show ring winning and a case full of phony trophies. You can see the results in every show ring in the world.
My purpose here is to bear witness to the heritage, to honor the men and woman who brought this noble breed into existence and those who even today through their personal standards of training and breeding remain faithful onto the heritage, even as the forces of history sweep it away before their eyes.
LEGAL EAGLE STUFF
The material presented here is protected by Copyright, and can not be reproduced,
reprinted or used in any other way without my permission. Official club
publications are normally granted limited reprint permission, but must
first contact us. In addition to da law, we are protected by a Witch
with a contract to cast a spell on the violators, turning all the show
dogs into old time Dutch working dogs, right in the middle of the show
ring at the most critical moment, and the real Bouviers into the fluffy
bait and gait show dogs, the infamous "Bouviers des Boudoir,"
the moment before the test of courage.
