A SNAPSHOT FROM OUT OF THE PAST

This photo, taken in 1945 or possibly early in 1946, is of Belco (on the left) and son Marius du Clos des Cerbers. Belco was of course the male Miss Edmee Bowles slipped out of Europe literally under the Nazi gun, having lost most of the remainder of her dogs in the brutal German occupation of Belgium.

Although at first glance these dogs seem vastly different from the Bouviers of today, much of the difference is in length and texture of coat. The dogs of this era tended to be less angulated, with a muzzle a little longer relative to the skull. These dogs were of virtually pure Dutch breeding, and it was not until some ten years later that the Belgian lines began to predominate in America.

I suppose for others this is just a not so good black and white snapshot of a couple of old dogs. But for me - knowing the terrible price paid to preserve even this much of the heritage, and what was to come - it is a powerful and dramatic moment of our history, frozen forever in time.