BOERBOEL HISTORY AND BACKGROUND.
Most dictionaries define a boer-boel as a big farm dog of uncertain origins. Since now the boer-boel is now a fully-fledged Southern African breed, and it is accepted by the Southern African Kennel Union, this definition can now be put aside.
Extended research has revealed that the ancestry of the boer-boel can be traced as far back as the time of the Herrodus, Tibet, Assiria and Babylon. In Assiria the use of dogs as soldiers was so intense to the extend of covering them with reinforcement material to protect them. When Assurbanipal conquered Egypt, these dogs were also taken along and thus began their spread further into the so-called known world.
Alexander the great was later responsible for introducing them to Europe. It is alleged that in 326BC he received about 156 of these dogs that had been trained to fight lions and elephants.
Over time these dogs developed into two definite strains, the mastiff and the hound. The mastiff was mainly used for protection while the hound was used for hunting purposes. These dogs were large and strong typical working dogs with only a slight difference in appearance and build.
It is reputed that all dogs of the western world are descended form these breeds. About 600 years ago the Europeans started specialised breeding from these 2 breeds and through fine selection and cross breeding the different breeds evolved. And even though different breeds emerged, each having their own characters they all still have one origin.
When the famous Jan Van Reebeck came to the Cape in 1652, he brought his own dog to protect him and his family in the wild and unknown country. This dog was a bullenboter, a large, heavy mastiff type of dog. He also brought along other of his strongest dogs to protect him against all the unknown dangers of this strange land. In this way different types of dogs arrived to this part of the world from different regions of the world. They were the wolfhond, the old English mastiff and the Scottish deehound.
As the pioneers moved further and further inland and started to settle in the remote farms the dogs were isolated and a lot of inbreeding took place, the result of which was the reappearance of the characteristics of the original Assirian dog.
The hard and dry environment of Africa cultivated in the dogs the spirit of survival of the fitness and it was due to this that the hardiness of today’s boer-boel was intensified. Since there were no verterinaries surgeons or medicines available for the dogs, to a large extend the dogs had to look after themselves and develop resistance to most common diseases.
During the Great Trek in 1834, the boer-boel had most of the features that it has today and is clearly recognisable from old drawings. In the period after the trek on the distant farms, the boer-boel interbreed further and only the biggest and only the biggest and the strongest survived. His pioneer owners requested him to be a friend of the family, a worker, fighter and also provide protection. They could not afford to have a disobedient, moody, finicky and sickly dog. They had to rely on him to protect the family, work, kill and fight. This dog is the only dog in the world specially bred to guard, protect and be a watchdog.
At the turn of the century the characteristics of the old original dog were clearly visible and the dog was generally known as the “boel”. |
