Boerboel history

Ashurbanipal's lion hunt

The Boerboel has a long history, which goes back as far as ancient times. We'll start the Boerboel's story way back to about 640 BC, in Assyria. In those times two Assyrian Kings, King Esarhaddon and King Ashurbanipal, were recorded as having used large dogs to hunt lions and wild horses. This information can be seen at the Assyrian chambers at the British museum. There is an ancient legend that the Illyrian king gave Alexander the great a large, beastly, dog to commemorate his achievements. The beast was so ferocious, Alexander decided to make it hunt bears. The dog showed no interest in this endeavor and lay lazily without moving. This angered Alexander and he had the dog killed. When the king of the Illyrians heard of this he sent him another dog, this time with a message of "not wasting the dog's time with small things". This time Alexander had the dog fight a lion, which the dog quickly broke the back of, and then an Elephant, who the dog forced off a cliff.

Ancient images of Canis Molossus

Canis Molossus also had an important effect on the large dog breeds of today. Originally used in the times of the Roman games. The activities of the Romans resulted in the spreading of the breed throughout Europe and the British Isles. In 1652 the 'Bullenbitjer' arrived with Jan van Riebeeck in the Cape. The pioneers and settlers that followed also brought with them the strongest and most robust dogs that they could find in Europe, to provide protection in this untamed and harsh land. When the Great Trek started in 1838 these dogs moved with their Boer owners. The pioneers split up in different directions to explore South Africa and because of little contact and interference from the outside world, these dogs further interbred, creating a dog that resembles the Asian mastiff type of dog. Today you can still see the verifications between the Retief, Celliers, Potgieter and Maritz laagers dogs.

The African side of the boerboel story starts in southern Ethiopia, where a tribe called the Cynomones used dogs described as "Indian Dogs". These dogs had their origin in Babylon. They are described as large, strong dogs, able to fight with lions. The Cynomones used their dogs to protect them from migratory wild animals as well as for hunting. They even used to milk the bitches. Folklore, or maybe just ancient marketing techniques, suggested that these Indian dogs were a cross between a dog and a tiger. As many African tribes migrated southwards, they brought their dogs with them.

As a farm dog, the Boerboel continued to be a protector and family dog and the Boel became generally known as a 'breed'. At the beginning of the Anglo Boer War most of the dogs were found in the Orange Free State and Transvaal area. Many of the great Boerboels were lost in the war, when the farms were burnt to the ground. The boerboel faced extinction, but the farmers collected the dogs that survived, and began breeding their beloved dogs again. You would think that the hardship of this dog would be over, but they still had to face the Great Depression. Farmers had to abandon their farms to seek work in the cities and some Boels were cross-bred with any type of dog, changing the characteristic of the old Boels

The Modern Boerboel

Since 1980 and with the forming of the SABT (Suid-Afrikaanse Boerboel Telersvereniging, or in English; South African Boerboel Breeders Association) and later the HBSA (The Historical Boerboel Association of Southern Africa) and the EBBASA (Elite Boerboel Breeders Association of Southern Africa), selective breeding of the dog has resulted in what we know today as the South African Boerboel. They are virile to survive the harsh climates of Africa and beyond, robust to survive impossible terrain and fearsome wild opponents, and dependable in remote locations to inspire their owners to continue with them. This information accounts for the fact that the boerboel has a structure far superior to any other mastiff-type breed.

The character of the Boerboel

Your Boerboel should qualify himself as your best friend, never hit, tease or teach your Boerboel to be aggressive, he will be protective by instinct, rather teach him to be friendly. He will tell you when someone has bad intentions by a soft growling, insuring you that he would protect you and your family.He is definitely a childs best friend and playmate.

Today, just like our forefathers, we require the following from our boerboels:

• He must be a friend, worker and provide protection at all cost.
  
  
• His temperament is even and he will not hesitate to give his live for his family.
  
  
• The male is between 65 - 75 cm at shoulder and the female is between 58cm - 64cm.
  
  
• An overall strong, muscular conformation that allows him to attain the highest degree of propelling power, agility and buoyancy, with a character of indomitable courage, intelligence, obedience to his family members and an outstanding watchdog instinct
  
  
• A thick, powerful neck which folds of lose skin, a broad chest and back, with a huge, broad head with a black muzzle/nose, strong thick legs and a docked tail (the owner's choice).
  
  
• A short coat in colours brown, yellow, grey and brindle and it is easy to keep clean.