In dictionaries you will find the following definition of a Boerboel. "A big farm dog of uncertain origins". Thankfully, this is now something of the past.
South Africa's own dog, the Boerboel, is now a full-fledged breed.
Long research has revealed that the ancestry of the Boerboel can be traced as far back as the time of Herodotus and to Tibet, Assiria and Babylon.
In Assiria dogs were used as soldiers, even covered with reinforced material to protect them.
When Assurbanipal conquered Egypt, these dogs were also taken along and thus they were spread further into the known world.
Later Alexander the Great was responsible for spreading them to Europe. Apparently in 323BC he received a present of 156 of these large dogs who had been specially trained to fight lions and elephants.
Through the ages these dogs developed into definite strains, the mastiff which was mainly used for protection and as soldiers, and the hound which was used for hunting purposes. Both these dogs were large and strong and typical working dogs, with only slight differences in appearance and build.
It is reputed that all dogs of the Western World are descended from these two dog types. About 600 years ago the Europeans started specialized breeding from these two basic dogs and through fine selection and cross-breeding the different breeds evolved.
Some dogs were bred specially for hunting. Others had to retrieve the prey, guard and herd the livestock and for many other uses they could be put to, but the basis of all these dogs was still the original strong breed of the past.
When Jan van Riebeeck came to the Cape in 1652, he brought his own dog along to protect him and his family in this wild and unknown country.
This dog was known as a "Bullenbitjer", a large, heavy Mastiff-type dog.
At this time the original dog had been much diversified and many of the Western World countries had its own distinctive, specialized breed of dog.
The settlers who came after Jan van Riebeeck also brought along their strongest dogs to protect them against all the unknown dangers of this strange land. These dogs arrived here from many different countries.
As the pioneers moved further and further inland and settled on remote farms, the dogs were forcibly isolated and a lot of inbreeding took place which had the result that the Characteristics of the original Assirian dog started to reappear.
Survival was of the utmost importance and it was here that the hardiness of today's Boerboel was bred into the dog. There was no veterinary surgeon or medicines available for dogs and they had to look out for themselves to a large extent.
During the inland migration in South Africa (Groot Trek) the Boerboel had most of the features that it has today and is clearly recognizable from old drawings. In the period after the migration, on the distant farms, the Boerboel interbred further and only the biggest and strongest dogs survived.
His pioneer owner required him to be a friend of the family, a worker, provide protection, and also to be a fighter. They could not afford to have a disobedient, moody, finicky, sickly dog - they had to be able to rely on him to protect the family and work.
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". The years that followed almost brought tragedy to the Boerboel. Urbanization caused cross breeding with anything that could bark and the typical "Boel" started to disappear.
It was only in the nineties that a serious search started again for the original farm dog, a search covering thousands of kilometers followed. Selective breeding started, many disappointments followed, but also immense joys! At last the dog of our forefathers was ready to be registered as a pure breed.
In August 1990 the first country-wide appraisal tour was undertaken. A total of 5500km was covered, 250 dogs were seen and only 72 were selected to be registered.
E-Mail: boerboels@intekom.co.za
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