BREED HISTORY
 

The Boerboel is a big, strong and intelligent working dog, which was bred in South Africa since the seventeenth century. Various Mastiff types dogs from Europe as well as big dogs from Africa contributed to the development of the breed. A typical Boerboel�s characteristic is very similar to that of the Assyrian of the period up to 700 BC.

The Boerboel is South Africa's very own breed. Today, the Boerboel is not only bred in South Africa but is bred in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as Europe and America strictly following standards set out by the South African Boerboel Association, the S.A.B.T.

In the 7th century before Christ there were two Syrian kings who used large dogs to hunt wild horses and lions. The story of these two kings, Asarhaddon and Ashurbani-pal, and their relationships with dogs are portrayed in the Syrian rooms of the renowned British Museum in London.

These large Syrian dogs were of great importance to their owners. The dog was also the emblem of the god Gula. According to murals these Syrian dogs were bigger and heavier than today's familiar dog breeds. In one of Darwin's writings about the same period he refers to the statue of a large dog on the grave of king Asarhaddon's son, which dates back to the year 640 BC.

Philemon Holland refers to several prominent persons who used large dogs for various purposes in his translations of Pliny's Natural History, 1601.

For instance, a Germanic king who returned from exile used 200 "dogges" to re-conquer his dominion.

Reference is also made to the Cimbrians who used "dogges" to look after their belongings while they where engaged in bloody battles. In the same document reference is also made to Alexander the Great.

The king of Albania presented Alexander the Great with a dog. Alexander the Great was highly impressed wth the huge dog, until he tried to use it, first, to hunt bears and later wild boar and deer. The dog showed no interest at all and just ignored everything.

Alexander the Great, the mighty king, the well-known conqueror, was enraged by the laziness of the dog and ordered the immediate excution of the dog. The news about the tragedy soon reached the king of Albania. Without delay he sent Alexander the Great a replacement together with the following advice: "Do not waste the dog's time with minor things. Give him a lion or elephant to fight." It is said that Alexander the Great first set up a fight against a lion. Within minutes the lion's back was broken. This was followed by a fight against an elephant, which fell down a cliff after being continuously attacked by the dog from all sides. The elephant panicked and just wanted to escape from the dog.

Other narratives of dogs killing lions are to be found in the writings of Megsthenes, Aelien, Diodorus, Siculus, Strabo and Plutarch. In his Travels of William de Rubruquis a monk in the service of king Louis IX of France describes how enormous the dogs of Albania were. Large enough to fight against lions and bulls, and even large enough to be harnessed like oxen in front of a wagon. These dogs of Syria and Albania were dispersed across modern Europe, the Far and Middle East and the British Isles.

Various documents explain the evolution of well-known modern breeds with their ohgin in these ancient dogs before and after Christ. The Canis Molossus of the Roman Empire played an important part in the origin of modern large breeds.

For example, the activities of the Romans resulted in the importation of these dogs to the British Isles. However, major differences of opinion exist about what happened next. Some writers are of the opinion that the Romans took their Canis Molossus to the British Isles, while others say the Romans took some English dogs back with them to Europe. Both these claims could be valid.

Various documents also report on trade that took place between East and West, including the British Isles. The sea route around the Cape of Good Hope was also used for this trade.

The Dutch East indian Company sent Jan van Riebeeck to establish a trade post at the southern tip of Africa. In 1652 he arrived in the Cape, bringing with him the well-known "Bullenbijter". Other colonists also arrived in Southern Africa and with them large mastiff-type dogs.

As we know the history of the Boerboel, this is the point at which most people would like to stop, because part of the further history includes the crossbreeding of the colonists� large dogs with the dogs (Kafferbrakke) of the inhabitants of Africa. This is how the Boerboel found on so many farms, originated and later trekked north with the Groot Trek. However, there are plenty interesting information that could lead to alternative thought.

A well-known writer, E.C. Ash, claims evidence of massive dogs with mastiff-like appearances that existed during ancient Egyptian times. Ash maintains one illustration dates back as far as 2000 BC, at the time of kings Saul, David and Solomon when Tirus was king of Phoenicia. At this time, a very busy trade existed between the different nations of the time; amongst others between Syria, king Solomon and Persia. The Queen of Sheba, for instance, visited king Solomon and then returned to Persia.

We also know the history of Noah�s son Ham, the ancestor of various nations in Africa, amongst others Ethiopia. All these little pieces of information seem to be of no importance until one reads the following.

The king of Persia, Artaxerxes Memnon, had a private doctor in his court who was very well read and who had travelled far and wide. This doctor reported the following:

A barbaric tribe in the south of EthiopLa, known as the Cynomones, had dogs that were described as "Indian dogs". Pliny's Natural History also refers to them, but confuses them with Cynocephali. The Cynomones had dogs that were descendants of the Babylonian dog. They were described as large, strong dogs; the size of Hyrcanians and suitabe to fight lions.

The Cynomones bred large numbers of these dogs, because during the late summer, large numbers of migrating wildebeest trekking past the Cynomones, stampeded or destroyed their simple houses or shelters and other possessions.  The dogs were used specifically to keep the wildebeest away from their homes, but also to catch them. During the remainder of the year the dogs were used to hunt other wild animals.

They also milked the bitchesm just like other tribes milked their cattle or goats. This is why they were called Cynomologi (dog milkers).

Diodorus Siculus, Aelian and Polydeuktes confirm this informauon. Aristotle wrote very interesting things about the "Indian dog". He said "Indian dogs" were born from a cross between a dog and a tiger. Mankind could only start using the third generation of this crossbreed, because earlier generations were too aggressive. When on heat, bitches were tied down at remote places. Many of them were eaten if the tigers did not feel like covering the bitches. It is interesting to notice that Pliny repeats this information.

Today we believe, of course, that it is impossible to cross a dog with a tiger. The breeders of these dogs did of course, according to Aristotle, receive very good and free advertising with these stories. Nevertheless, the "Indian dog" is grey or brindle. Makes one think, hey?

The Cynomones travelled wide and also traded their dogs. Other clues about the "Indian dog" can be found in documents about the life and time of Darius Hystaspes, king of Persia who relieved four hamlets in his kingdom from all work, except to care for his dogs and to collect food for them.

The European connection of Jan van Riebeeck with his "Bullenbijter" now does not seem to be the only or most likely source of origin of the Boerboel, especially if we go back to the mongrels or Kafferbrakke mentioned earlier.

In Africa various black tribes moved south when they came into contact with Europeans; naturally their dogs moved with them. The question that remains is whether the "African dog" with the distinctive V-shape on the tail is a descendant of the dogs of Ethiopia?

If the answer is yes, it could have far reaching implications (more than we realise).

The ancestry of the Boerboel could therfore read as follows:

The Boerboel was bred mainly from two sources of genetic material:

The "Bullenbijter", with its early roots in Albania and Syria and later Europe.

The African dog of the black tribes of Africa which probably descended from the Cynomones of Ethiopia with earlier roots in Babylon during the Persian domination and even earlier via India back to Albania and Syria.

These statements also explain why the Boerboel is structurally much better than all other mastiff-type dogs.

The genetic material that came together again in Africa has more pure, original Syrian bloodlines than any other breed in the world. During the period between the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck and the Groot Trek (1652� 1838) the original "Bullenbijter" bloodline and other dogs of the colonists were of necessity more isolated than after the start of the Groot Trek in 1838. The crucibe of the Boerboel started after 1838 and continues today.

It is interesting to take present bloodlines to the turn of the previous century or even earlier. For instance, we know where certain old bloodlines come from. Certain old bloodlines can be traced back with certainty to specific groups of trekkers from the Cape to the north.

The Boerboel unfortunately was also subjected to fools, who thought there was a short cut to the perfect Boerboel. Various other breeds were used to give the Boerboel certain intended features, not knowing that all these qualities were already locked up in the genetic fabric of the Boerboel a lot of damage was done to the breed by this additional genetic material. Through a process of rigid breeding selection these foreign undesired genes will have to be removed.

Thanks to the vision of a few devotees the South African Boerboel Breeders Association (S.A.B.T.) was founded in 1983.

The establishment was preceded by a period of dialogue and discussion among groups, acquaintances and friends, who all had a passion for the Boerboel.

The leading figure in those years, Johan de Jager, approached people who were advertising Boerboels with the idea to establish a breeder association. Gradually more and ore people showed interest. Groups of dogs were identified. In the high-lying areas of the southern Free State and Kwazulu-Natal dogs were discovered that differed slightly from other dogs in the more north-western areas.

For example, the dogs from the high-lying areas had longer hair, with thinner legs, smaller feet and sharper snouts than those in the north-west. The isolation of the different groups can be traced back to the start of the Groot Trek in 1838, which explains why there are so many differences among these dogs.

It is significant that the Free State plains, crossed by the Groot Trek many years ago, should become home to the S.A.B.T. At the founding meeting in Senekal in the Free State, Johan du Preez acted as governor and Johan de Jager as chairperson. De la Rey Schoeman and Lucas van der Merwe also attended with the latter acting as secretary.

Johan de Jager (member no. 1) was elected as chairperson, De la Rey Schoeman (member no. 2) as secretary and Lucas ven der Merwe (member no. 3) as additional committee member. More people attended but due to non-commitment their names were lost.

Lucas van der Merwe and Jannie Bouwer were later appointed as the first judges and they developed an appraisal system, which was used during the founding phase. With time, this system underwent various adjustments.

Johan Barkhuizen, the brother-in-law of Johan de Jager made his beautiful home with its extraordinary beautiful garden available for the next two annual meetings. Due to growing membership numbers, Mizpah, the farm of Lucas van der Merwe, was identified as a suitable place for future annual meetings. It was centrally situated and exceptionally suited for the purpose. At the 3rd annual meeting more than 700 people attended, interested specifically in the auction of Boerboel's which took place immediately after the annual meeting. The highest offer for a puppy on that day was R2 000. S.A.B.T. membership increased at a fast rate and one of the biggest problems was to keep the administration up to date. Anneke van der Merwe, as secretary, was overloaded with administrative tasks and with poor facilities she had to develop a meaningful database in order to overcome this paper war. The computer era fortunately came to the rescue and with the expert help of Roelof Wiid the activities of the S.A.B.T. were computerised and the admnistrative nightmare solved.