Acquiring a Bouvier Puppy
Jim Engel
We are from time to time contacted by those in search of a Bouvier pup,
often one to replace an existing dog approaching the end of life or recently
passed away, or to have a Bouvier similar to those remembered from years ago.
Often these are Centauri customers of long standing.
Unfortunately we are no longer breeding and it has come to the point that there are
no breeders in America today that I can endorse as both competent and honest.
The Bouvier is also in decline in Europe, but there remain a few dedicated breeders.
In particular I recommend my long standing friend Caya Krijnse Locker,
who we have known well since the early 1980s:
Caya Krijnse Locker
Bouvier Kennel Caya's Home
Oud Loosdrechtsedijk 54
1231 NB Loosdrecht, The Netherlands
E mail: cayagoos@gmail.com
Phone: 31 35 5826353
Cell: 31 64 9766758
Web:
http://www.cayashome.nl/mainindex.htm
Caya speaks excellent English and over the years has sent many Bouviers to America, both to us and to those we have recommended. The import process has become a bit complex, making an experienced European breeder particularly important. Shipping can be a bit expensive, but generally the cost of a pup from Caya compares favorably with North American sources.
Be aware of the fact that because of unfortunate European laws imported pups will not have their ears cropped or tails docked.
Background information:
In the seventies and the eighties, the days of the Bouviers we all remember, the Bouviers were unusual and bred close to the lines such as that of of Edmee Bowles at du Clos des Cerberes and Justin Chastel at de la Thudinie in Belgium, or some of the old fashioned Dutch working lines. You could take many dogs directly out of these lines and train them for Schutzhund, police work or just about anything else. These were marvelous dogs of strong, independent, often gruff character; which was after all the reason so many of us were attracted to this noble breed in the first place.
For a number of years we were willing and able to recommend various breeders who maintained similar lines, perhaps not as intense as some but still real Bouviers, dogs we would all recognize as the same breed as the old dogs.
This is coming to an end.
The breeders, in Holland and America especially, have transformed our Bouvier des Flandres into a breed of soft, lazy, lethargic show and pet dogs, as has happened to so many other breeds. The Bouviers you and I learned to love are rapidly disappearing. These “new and modern” Bouviers are pathetic caricatures of this once noble breed, a shameful desecration of our heritage.
Many show breeders say yes, much of this is true, but we ourselves still maintain the old character, still care.
This is not true, can not be true. To show dogs and make champions you must breed to the winners, and the winners are by their nature and breeding pathetic, soft, lazy dogs. And, of course, all of this incest has led to entrenched medical problems: heart aliments such as sub aortic stenoisis, very serious eye problems, thyroid problems and gastric torsion. All of the medical tests in the world will not change this.
Let me say it directly: every breeder today selling on the basis of American or Canadian champions and on show records is selling something very different from the Bouviers des Flandres we came to know and love. If you want one of these dogs, fine, but do not expect a specimen of the real Bouviers that you may have know from the past.
We can no longer recommend any of these breeders.
Since the AKC no longer publishes annual registration numbers we do not know how many pups are available, but projecting from historical trends the number would probably be about 100 a year, or two per state per year on the average. Thus the choice in American breeding is very limited.
The primary reason our own breeding program has been greatly diminished is that good old fashioned breeding stock has become very difficult to find, and that at some point you can not shovel sand against the tide of history. I bred a litter in the fall of 2006, our first in seven years, because I wanted a very specific kind of pup for myself, and because I was in contact with a number of others with similar desires, all experienced Bouvier people.
If you are looking for an old fashioned Bouvier then by all means contact me and I will do my best to put you in contact with a good litter, but it is very difficult and becoming more difficult all of the time.
Sad to say, the things I have warned about for twenty years are now coming to pass.