Saturday, October 27, 2012

Sandy the Herricane [sic] is coming.


From the Ridgefield Press 10/27/12 

"Saturday, noon —  Hurricane Sandy’s predicted path was shifted south late Saturday morning — but Connecticut is still in its sights. [...]

While the storm may officially hit land south of Connecticut, the northern part of the hurricane, which is typically the most destructive part of a hurricane or tropical storm, is set up now to hit southwest Connecticut."

OMG, That's us!!



Sophie, the diary of a southern Belle (epilepsy)


Some of you (very few) know that Sophie (age 8) suffered 2 grand mal seizures last wknd. These were followed by a few petit mal seizures, i.e. over time the intensity of the seizures diminished. 

Sophie is back to herself & we haven't had any recurrences at any level. 

She has been to vet, all examinations including xray, urinalysis, T4, bloodwork have been within normal range for a lady of her age. 

Causes for a sudden onset of epilepsy can range from the usual idiopathic to brain tumor with change in blood chemistry, lyme & stress in between.  

I've elected not to do an MRI as the resolution to a brain tumor is a non-starter & is, in and of itself, painless.

So I've started to seek out other explanations for this sudden onset of seizures. I've settled on stress.

Within 24 hours of bringing Ziggy (a REALLY crazy, 7 mo old, fun loving, noisy, smart, FAST MOVING little thing into the house) Sophie suffered her first seizure. 

Although the cast of characters has not changed, we have gotten a handle on some of Ziggy's antics and restored some ORDER to the house. And, as I said, there have been no epileptic recurrences. 

I'm writing to ask if any of you have specifically had this kind of situation with a Bouvier and a new arrival that changed the dynamic of the household. 

If so I'd appreciate your comments, suggestions, advice. Condolences and that sort of thing are unnecessary (although the thought is appreciated). 

Sophie is a rescue. After conferring with her foster mom, we don't/can't get any more background health information on her first 7 years. We do know she was abused & basically abandoned. We do know she ran away from home & survived (feral) for 6 months, only to be returned to where she started. 

She's smart & sensitive -- especially to sticks, anger, etc. She shows some insecurity under certain circumstances & feels she must be in charge when we are out & about, i.e. very protective. She gets along famously with Stella. She may feel she lost control when Ziggy entered the picture but I am conjecturing. 

Please let me hear from you, the larger Bouvier community if you've had the experience I've described. 

I am posting this on every Bouvier group site that I know of and on my blog. 

You can respond below or to me privately.

Thanks so much. 

-- 

Jan, Stella Bella, Sophie & Sigmund (aka ZIGGY stardust) in Ridgefield, CT USA
BouvSite @ http://www.bogartsdaddy.com/bouvier
Blog: http://janrifkinson.blogspot.com
Photos: http://janrif.zenfolio.com
jan.rifkinson@gmail.com
203.431.1691 <eve>

Advance pro-activity in defense of the Bouvier

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Sophie, the diary of a Southern Belle (Epilepsy)


10/24/12 

Sophie had two gran mal seizures over the wknd followed by a couple of petit mal seizures. 

If a dog is epileptic it is usually seen between ages 1-2. As Sophie is a rescue we have no record / information on that so we are assuming old dog epilepsy which can be caused by a number of factors: electrolytes out of whack, kidney problems, tick infection, stress, brain tumor. 

We are testing for what can be tested for up to MRI for brain tumor. Rationale being if she has a brain tumor (painless), then what? Sophie has not had a recurrence since Sat night & I am up most of the night every night watching her b/c that's when the episodes occur. 

So far nothing out of the ordinary has been revealed by the tests. She had xrays of chest, kidneys, pancreas, stomach w/o any negative results. We are waiting for urinalysis. Ticks negative. 

If Sophie has more episodes we will put her on anticonvulsants, i.e. phenobarbital or some variant. The prognosis for controlling epilepsy medically is optimistic, short of a brain tumor. If she has no other seizures it will be chalked off to idiopathic (don't know what the f**k it is) or possibly stress. 

There is some logic to the stress diagnosis as the first & most serious episode occurred within 24 hrs of bringing Ziggy into the mix. His extremely high level of activity causes stress even on us but he is sloooowly calming down, learning the routine of the house & some modicum of manners (he's +/- 7 mos old), very smart, very willing to learn, is a lover & is extremely cute. However, Sophie's health comes first so we're keeping our fingers crossed -- no more seizures & Ziggy's learning curve. 

I discussed all this w Sophie's foster mom as she has a right to know what's going on & she told me that she took in another foster shortly after Sophie came to live with her & that Sophie became so agitated that she moved the other foster elsewhere. Sophie had very little confidence when I got her (more than she had when she was first rescued) & she certainly has a lot more now but possibly not enough to convince herself of her position within the household. Stella, OTOH, could give less of a damn. 

I will update this entry as warranted. 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Human Training

This is a very simple lesson which most people don't understand. It is the Bouvier's responsibility to walk with you, pay attention to you, see where you want to go... not the other way around. Try explaining this concept to an inexperienced owner who thinks they know it all and you encounter lots of b.s. reasons why this doesn't work with their particular Bouv. Wrong.




Zigmund (aka Ziggy) in San Antonio TX, ETA Newark Int'l Airport 10/18/12 16:30






Wednesday, September 05, 2012

15,000 news locusts


I've always wondered what would have happened if 15,000 journalists focused their attention on a real story of import; how history might have been changed. 

From Morning Media Newsfeed:
"At the 2012 Conventions, 15,000 Journalists Search for a Story (HuffPost / The Backstory) Scoops and valuable, legitimate nuggets of insight and information are hard to come by in Conventionland, yet reporters who swarmed the halls en masse in Tampa are all at it again in Charlotte, where the Democrats kicked off their election kabuki Tuesday [...] "

Friday, August 31, 2012

Ruminating after the RNC


I watched all coverage, speeches & commentary on MSNBC, starting at 7pm every night of the three nights of the convention culminating with Mitt Romney's speech last night. 

New to me was the sense that -- FINALLY --  there was a great crop of young and varied potential GOP leaders on the horizon &, IMO, this is a good thing for the party. I thought the women were especially impressive; women like Condolezza Rice, Nikki Haley & Mia Love. But the guys -- Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio & Paul Ryan -- were nothing to sneeze at either. 

Putting the political red meat aside, my take away was that (except for Clint Eastwood) the convention was very well orchestrated & inspirational but there were few (if any) details about what's going to change going forward. Having said that, I don't think any convention is meant for wonkiness or policy details so what are we really left with? 

Hope & change? :-)

This personal evaluation doesn't automatically put me in anyone's political column but I think this showing of young turks is important because I, for one, am tired of hearing from the same old white guys on both sides of the aisle. 

Obama was the first to offer a real choice in that department which is why I think he won the election in '08. I don't yet know about '12 but I think new people with new ideas & new energy is what we need in BOTH parties so the thinking electorate can have a real choice. 

This is such an election & I am looking forward to the debates for a change. 

Going forward, I will be watching an equal amount of coverage & commentary of the DNC on the Fox News Channel and expect a similar takeaway but we'll see. 

I'll update this blog entry at the end of next week. 

I think independents are more likely to be swayed one way or the other after the debates. 

I'd be interested in your takeaway which is why there is a comment box below. Post as anonymous if you must. 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Relaxing in the second decade of the 21st century


It was a beautiful day & I decided to visit my favorite cheese shop for a Parisienne sandwich (on a baguette) to be accompanied by a bottled French blood orange seltzer drink. 

With lunch in hand, I walked to a small patio area -- under two extremely old and tall white pines -- where there are a few tables with blue umbrellas. No one was else was around.

There was a gentle breeze & the grasses surrounding this little sitting area moved with the wind.

I took out my smart phone (a Samsung S3), clicked an icon, leaned in and said to the phone "listen to BB King". 

"Ding" it replied within seconds and presented me with five choices where I could listen to B.B.King. I selected the Spotify Radio service which immediately began broadcasting a B.B. King tune. 

I propped the smartphone up against my eye glasses which were on the table and listened for a few moments, then un-wrapped my sandwich, set it on a white napkin on the white table. Next I twisted the cap off the blood orange / seltzer drink & set that down next to the rest. 

And I sat for a while just listenting to the blues,  feeling the breeze. 

After a while I started munching on my sandwich, interspersing it with a few sips of red/organge colored drink. 

Half way through lunch, the music faded, an incoming phone call replacing it. It was the service center announcing that my car was ready for pickup. 

"Thanks", I said and ended the call as the sounds of B.B.King returned.

Carol called to say "hi". 

With lunch digested, 2 calls completed and a B.B. King radio concert under my belt, I was ready for the afternoon. 

I did feel the absence of Stella Bella & Sophie, my Bouv girls who are usually with me. This day I had to leave them home & I missed them. 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

FCI: Bouvier de Flandres Standard (translated)


From the original document that you can find by clicking HERE

Page 1

ROYAL SAINT-HUBERT Cynologic Union A. Giraud Avenue, 98, 1030 Brussels. Founding member "Fédération Cynologique Internationale." 

FCI-Standard Nr. 191 / 06.22.2001 / Dutch Bouvier des Flandres (Bouvier des Flandres) Dutch text: Dr. R. Pollet COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Belgium - France. DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 25.10.2000. UTILIZATION: Originally the Bouvier des Flandres used as a herding, as draft dog and as churning dog. The modernization of the equipment of the farms has initial use of the Bouvier des Flandres changed and today he is primarily a guardian of property and homesteads, as a defense and a police dog. Because of its physical and behavioral aptitudes, and great qualities of scent, initiative and intelligence, it can be used as a tracking dog and connection and against poaching. 

CLASSIFICATION FCI: Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle dogs). Section 2 Cattle dogs (except Swiss Cattle dogs). With working trial. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BREED The Bouvier des Flandres, as evidenced by its name, comes from Flanders, both Belgian- as French Flanders, two regions which no natural frontiers separated. The Flanders cow or cattle, which are good dogs needed for their herds drive, selected the dogs they have in their region possessed solely on their behavioral and physical qualities that our current Bouvier des Flandres of them have inherited. GENERAL APPEARANCE: Subkortlijnig. The body short and thick limbs strong and well muscled. The Bouvier des Flandres makes an impression of power, but without clumsiness.

Page 2:

2 The Bouvier des Flandres position will be judged in its natural stance, without physical contact with the handler. IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: • The body length from bow tip to point of buttock should be approximately equal to the height. • The ratio of skull length to snout length is about 3 to 2. BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT: The Bouvier des Flandres has the calm, thoughtful character of a way daredevil. Its lively look indicates intelligence, energy and fearlessness. The Bouvier des Flandres suitability as a working dog must be absolutely preserved. Everything could harm this must be punished. HEAD has a massive appearance, accentuated by the beard and mustache. It is in proportion to the body and the height. It seems good to the touch to be carved. CRANIAL REGION: well developed and flat, slightly less wide than long. The top lines of the skull and muzzle are parallel. The frontal groove hardly marked. Stop: not very pronounced, due to upstanding eyebrows become more visible, more apparent than real. FACIAL REGION: Nose: is the end of the muzzle in a slightly convex towards. The nose should be well developed, rounded edges, the color is always black. The nostrils are well opened. Muzzle: Broad, strong, bony, the upper profile straight, tapering towards the nose, but never pointed. The length must be shorter than that of the skull, in a ratio of two to three. The circumferential, just below the eyes is measured, is approximately equal to the length of head. Lips: tight and strongly pigmented. Jaws / Teeth: Jaws must be powerful and of equal length. The teeth are strong, healthy, white and evenly set. Scissor or pincer bite. The teeth must be complete. Cheeks: Flat and clean, zygomatic very protruding. Eyes: Frank and energetic expression, neither protruding nor sunken. The shape is slightly oval and horizontally. The color should be as dark as possible in compared to the coat color. Light eyes and a haggard expression must severely punished be. The eyelids are black, without trace of pigment loss. The haw must never be visible. Ears: Cropped in triangle, carried upright, set high and very motile; a cut in relation to the size of the head is recommended. Uncropped ears: Position: Set high, above eye level, flaps falling vertically. The fold must not stand higher than the skull. Shape and carriage: medium, in the form of an equilateral triangle, slightly rounded at the points, lying flat against cheeks, except the slight elevation above the ear, not bent or twisted, in proportion to the size of the head covered with smooth hair. NECK: should stand out well and sufficiently upright. Strong, muscular, the shoulders widening gradually the length slightly less than length of head. Powerful and slightly arched neck. No dewlap.

Page 3

3 BODY: Strong, stocky and short. Topline: Upper line of back and loins horizontal, tight and firm. Withers: Slightly raised. Back: Short, broad, muscled and well, no sign of weakness, but still pliable. Loins: Short, broad, muscular, must be flexible without appearing weak. Cross: as far as possible the horizontal line of the back and blend imperceptibly pass into the curve of the buttocks. Broad but not excessively so in males, more developed in the bitch. A or sloping rump is a serious fault. Chest: Broad and well let down to the elbows, but not cylindrical. The first ribs are slightly arched, the others rounded and sloped to the rear, giving the desired length of chest. Flat ribs to be severely penalized. The distance between the front portion of the sternum (manubrium) to the last rib must be considerable, about 7/10 of the withers. Underline: The underside of chest rises very slightly towards the belly, which is slightly tucked is. Flanks must be short, especially in males. Tail: the relatively high set tail is located in the extension of the spine. Some dogs are born tailless and so should not be penalized. The tail should be docked within a week after birth, with two or three tail vertebrae. A natural gift or tail is permitted in countries where caudectomie prohibited. LIMBS FOREQUARTERS: Overview: Front legs have strong bone and well muscled. They are totally straight and parallel when viewed from the front. Shoulders: Relatively long, muscular, modeately oblique. The humerus and the humerus are approximately equally long. Upper arm: moderately oblique. Elbows: Close to the body and parallel printout income or pressed down elbows, both in natural position when in action, his mistakes. Forearm: Whether seen from the side and front perfectly straight, parallel with each other and perpendicular to the ground. They are well muscled and strong boned. Wrists: Exactly in line with the forearms. Only the back of the hook leg wrist (carpus) sticks out. Strong bone. For Hocks: Strong bone, rather short, very slightly sloping forward. Feet: Short, round and compact, turning neither in nor out. The toes should be tightly closed and arched, strong and dark nails. The pads are thick and hard. HINDQUARTERS: Overview: Strong, with pronounced muscle, upright and seen from behind perfectly parallel. Must move in the same planes as the forelegs. Thighs: Broad, well muscled, parallel in direction to the median plane of the body. The femur neither too straight nor too sloping. Buttocks well let down, trousered and firm. Stifle: clearly an imaginary line from the highest point of the hip (Iliac crest) perpendicular to the ground. Lower thighs: Moderately long, muscular, neither too straight nor too sloping.

Page 4

4 Hocks: Rather low to the ground, broad, tight. In position, seen from behind, straight and perfectly parallel. In action they should neither in nor out of the axis of the limbs. Metatarsus: Strong and lean, rather cylindrical, perpendicular to the ground in natural position. Without dewclaws. Hind feet: Round, tight, toes well closed and arched, with strong black nails. The pads thick and hard. GAIT The Bouvier des Flandres must be harmoniously proportioned in its entirety, ensure free, relaxed and proud movement possible. The walk and trot are the normal gaits, although one does also encounter amblers are. In the normal trot the Bouvier des Flandres (the prints of the hind feet are exactly those of the feet for the same side). SKIN: Tight fitting, without excessive looseness. The edges of the lips and eyelids always very dark. COAT HAIR: very abundant coat. The topcoat forming with the dense undercoat a protective layer perfectly adapted to the sudden climatic changes the region of origin of the breed. The hair should feel rough, dry and matt, neither too long or too short (about 6cm), slightly tousled but never woolly or curly. The hair is shorter on the head and substantially smooth on the outside of the ear, of which the inside of the shells by moderately long hair is protected. The upper lip carries a mustache and chin covered with a full beard, giving the breed the characteristic sour expression confers. The eyebrows consist of raised hairs, the shape of the eyebrow arches accentuate the eyes but never hide. On top of the back, the hair particularly harsh and scratchy. It is slightly shorter on the limbs but remains harsh. Plane coat should be avoided, as this indicates a lack of undercoat. The under her undercoat, which consists of dense hairs that grow beneath the outer coat and together with the topcoat forms a waterproof covering. COLOUR: The coat of the Bouvier des Flandres is usually gray, brindle or black overlay (char bonne). A completely uniform black is also accepted, but not the preferred. The light colored, so-called washed-out coats are not allowed. A white star on the chest is tolerated. SIZE AND WEIGHT: Height: - males 62 to 68 cm, - Females 59 to 65 cm. Tolerance: 1 cm downwards or upwards. For both sexes the ideal size is the average of these two border sizes, ie 65 cm by 62 cm for males and females. Weight: - Males about 35 - 40 kg, - Females about 27 - 35 kg. FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault, which penalized according to its severity.

Page 5

5 SERIOUS FAULTS: • Anxious dog. • Molossoïde appearance, too heavy dog. • Body obviously too long (slight tolerance for females), too light. • Head to massive, marked stop, marked frontal furrow, strong come- zygomatic arches. • Domed skull, narrow skull, very prominent occipital, clearly lack of parallelism skull / muzzle. • Too long snout, pinched nose. • Lip Loose, thick or overhanging. • Cross bite, abnormal occlusion (bite). • Small, unhealthy or poorly set teeth. • Light or convex eyes; atypical look. • curled or folded gift ears. • Cylindrical neck with dewlap. • Strong saddle, very arched. • Clearly erroneous positions, stand very straight, sickle hocks. • Silky coat, lack of undercoat, puffed up coat, gloss or formatted. • Lack of head furnishings. • General depigmentation (nose, lips, eyelids). ELIMINATING FAULTS: • Fearful or dangerously aggressive dog. • Obvious lack of breed type. • Nasal depigmentation or anything other than black. • Pointed muzzle. • Pronounced over-or undershot bite. • Absence of teeth, except 1 P1. • Wall eyes or wild expression. • Entropion, ectropion, pink eyelids. • Coat chocolate, white, washed-out color; any other blonde color, ranging from light to reddish, even black overlay. • Height Outside the limits of the standard. Note: The FCI official French text was approved as eliminating the color error "sel et poivre (pepper and salt) are listed. For obvious reasons, this was in the Dutch version omitted. NB: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum descended.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Is There A Dream Doctor in the House?


Office Scene: There are several people besides me in the office; co-workers. 

One is a white woman, who like me, is of indeterminate age, two are East Asia Indians, one woman, one man. Both are in their twenties. 

It is not clear what my function is in this office, nor that of the white woman, nor that of the East Asia Indian man who is slightly effete. 

The young woman, however, is a weathercaster who is prognosticating, presumably to an audience, altho no transmission equipment is in sight. She finishes her report & walks off the non-existing set, strides past my desk, while all the while talking about the weather, i.e. "the trees are swaying back & forth, the sun is coming up..." 

Then she stops, turns around & returns to her non-existent set where she retrieves and puts on her wool, calf-length, front buttoning overcoat and starts to walk out, again past my desk. 

There she is stopped (not physically) by the East Asian young man where the two engage in conversation that I cannot hear even though they stand  right next to my desk. 

After a short while, they both exit the space even though there is no door. This is odd. Also odd, is that it's not winter, i.e. there's no reason for an overcoat. 

I decide to leave the office too; not to follow them or anything like that. I just felt the urge to leave the office. But I was only wearing socks so I began searching for my shoes. There were quite a few scattered around my desk area but I couldn't find a like pair. This was frustrating & the anxiety increased as I continued the search through the scattered shoes. Turns out there was no like pair among them. 

I woke up.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Julia Robinson and Hilbert's Tenth Problem

Around midnight I awoke on the sofa, TV on, at the beginning of a documentary on Julia Robinson and Hilbert's Tenth Problem. Julia Robinson was one of the first women recognized in the modern mathematics world by her peers. It was a fascinating documentary on a subject I knew nothing about. I don't understand the problem Ms. Robinson solved but here it is from Wikipedia http://goo.gl/997Kl. I can only imagine the intellect it took to solve it. More women mathematicians in history @http://goo.gl/YLbzR

Friday, July 20, 2012

History of the Bouvier des Flandres > From Woef magazine,1993

The Bouvier Des Flandres: Grim of Outward, Warm of Heart
By
Nora Snyers


The official appellation of this breed - the Bouvier Des Flandres - makes me a bit peevish. It's an artificial definition invented by some French speaking citizens that has nothing in common with the original name of the breed, nor with the language of the people who created it. The breed Schipperke can praise himself lucky that he's called Schipperke & not 'Little Sherperd of Brabant' or something like that... .

The cynological authors write that the Belgian farmers did not even understand the term 'Bouvier'. The 'Pikker' or 'Piekhaar', yes, that dog they knew. An ignorant Flemish cynological author heard the name 'Picard' in that and suddenly our cattle-drover had a southern nephew:  the Picard who had that harsh coat, too. The explanation is more simple and our Dutch Van Daele-dictionary gives the answer. 'Pikken' or 'pieken' means 'sting, prick'. 'Pikken' also means speaking snappy; 'pikker' is not only something that 'stings or pricks' but also a 'strong guy'. This is the definition of our Bouvier. His hair picks & his temperament does that, too. It's correct that his coat has softened thru the years, as did his character... . Maybe he's not that real 'pikker' anymore. 'Vlaamse Koehond' ('Flemish Cow-dog') or 'Vlaamse Veedrijver' ('Flemish cattle-drover') are more honest definitions but a bit softer & characterless.  No, I think he should have kept the old and sturdy name 'Vlaamse Pikker' or 'Vlaamse Piekhaar'.  A mix of ignorance, politics and arrogance decided something else.

A DOG'S LIFE
All over the world people created dogs for their needs.  Where there are lots of cows, men needed sturdy cattle-drovers to keep the cattle on the field, drive the cattle to and away from the stable, bring it to the abattoir ... . Why the cynological people focused their eye on the cattle-drover and recognized it as a breed is unknown.  For sure, is that there were a lot of cattle-drovers in Brabant (Northern part of Belgium), but not a word is written down about them. The Ardennen (Southern part of Belgium) surely had their Bouvier, that's written in old texts, but the one, today, who can find one of these (with full pedigree) can come to me and show it.  Seriously, only the Flemish Cowdog made 'history'... Why? Was he a better working dog than the others?

I think that most of the cynological people did not look at the dogs function in the first place. Something else must have caught their attention. The rough appearance? The solitary nature of the dog, alone in the grandiose Flemish fields? When they found him in towns and hamlets of the 'Westhoek' (Northern coast part of Belgium), he must have looked less civilized than he does now. He had real 'piekhaar', a harder, shorter & pricking coat. The eyebrows and beard were shorter, as was the hair on the legs and that made him look much bigger. They didn't treat him softly. He could never come inside, not even into the stable. He had to work, night and day. During the day on the fields; at night he had to guard the farmyard. He didn't even have a kennel: a sloping plank against a tree or wall was his only shelter against rain, cold and wind. Most of the time he was chained and laid permanently in mud. About his food, I haven't read anything.  It wasn't much. Although he had to be strong, because a farmer who couldn't afford a horse put him in front of the milkcart, or he had to turn around the heavy churnwheel.  He had a real 'dogs life'. Of course the 'piekhaar' had to show authority, because cows are more difficult to manipulate than sheep and can be dangerous, too. You have to be a dexterous jumper to avoid a hoof beat. A 'piekhaar' had to be strong, quick, imposing, dexterous, fearless and authoritarian; could never be ill; had to work in every weather; and had to be willing and docile, ready to obey his boss.  Conclusion: he had to be perfect... .

BULLBITERS & 'REKELS'
Other countries have their cattle-drovers. Let's mention some... the small British Welsh Corgi, the German Rottweiler, the Swiss Sennenhunde.  With his harsh coat the Bouvier is an exception. Where did he get that 'piekhaar'? Just look at him and you will see that he is broader, more powerful and built heavier than the 'normal' shepherd. That quality you can only get in one group: The Mastiffs. In our region the mastiffs were represented by the 'Brabantse Bullenbijters' (Bull-biters of Brabant) and the 'mâtins' or 'rekels', who chased big wildlife and were cartdogs, too. Our famous Belgian cartdogs (who were never recognized as an official breed) surely gave some chromosomes to the gene-pool of the Bouvier. That explains the differences in temperament between the Bouvier and the 'normal' shepherds.

The Bouvier is not a pure mastiff. He's too 'willing' to be a mastiff, his 'will to please' is not a mastiff-quality. About the other ingredients of the gene-dish, there are a lot of stories going around. Mostly the Briard and Picard (already mentioned before...) played the main role in these stories. I don't think the 'stay-at-home-farmers' made far and expensive trips to get a dog. You could of course get that rough coat from the 'Laekense Herder' (Laekenois or Laeken Sherperd). Brussels was closer to their farm...

THE KELTIC CONNECTION?
It can be found closer or farther. At the border of the 'Westhoek', in Koksijde stood the 'Abdij ter Duinen' ('Abbey of the Dunes'). There is nothing left from it now other than some walls and a magnificent stone dog kennel, on a strategic place and fitting for a big dog. The monks, so the chronicles tell, had a good relationship with the British Island, especially with Scotland. Don't they have the Irish Wolfhound and his Scottish nephew, the Deerhound? With a rough coat, mostly grey and brindle? We know that the abbeys exchanged dogs and that these dogs were not so celibate as their owners.  I bet on some Celtic contribution of the Abbey, some strong local 'rekels' and a bit of shepherd blood. After some centuries, that cocktail could give us the 'piekhaar'. Just around 1910, there was something written down about the 'piekhaar' by French speaking citizens who had cynology as a hobby.  They named him 'Bouvier'... .

QUARREL
When I look at the official history of the Bouvier, it's obvious that it has been nothing else but a quarrel: about the color, the head, the height, the coat, the type. At one moment there were two types: the type 'Moerman' and the type 'Paret'. New 'cynological people' bought some Bouviers in farms and did some experiments with them. There were some judges who named themselves 'specialists' of the breed. It seems to me that at a certain moment there were more judges than dogs. All of them with their own opinion.  The biggest quarrel was about the color: One group said that the Bouvier had to be big and black, the other group said he had to be neither black, nor big. The craziest thing is that none of them asked the owners and breeders of the animals what they thought... .

IMMIGRANT
The Dutch got into the quarrel, also. Before we come to that point, let us return to the color. Since ancient times a guard dog had to impress and thus most were dark. That isn't to say that he has to be completely black. I think that the original owners of the Bouviers knew exactly how big and heavy a Bouvier had to be to impress; and how quick he had to be to avoid the hoofs. They searched for a coat that protected the dog against rain and cold, as well as hot weather. The coat of the Bouvier now, doesn't seem to reach that goal: it doesn't stop the rain anymore... .The Bouvier-fanciers can comfort themselves: the rough coat is the most difficult, and mostly all of the harsh coats tended to soften, due to a selection for longer beards and eyebrow hair and more coat on the legs.  The result is that a Bouvier needs a more regular grooming, good news for the grooming business... .

The drama of the first World War did not spare the Bouvier. He not only saw his homeland in gun-fire, trenches and barbed wire for four years, he was also shot down, starved, taken by the Germans. A part of the population went to more safe Belgian regions, to France and the Netherlands (here we are...). With the result that more Bouviers are to be found there! That's not unusual, Belgium is a small country, and all of our breeds are better represented abroad then they are here. The Bouvier, an immigrant, even took the Number 1 of the list of the most popular breed in the Netherlands! We can be proud of our creation, the world is fond of it.

ODIUM OF THE CHAINED DOG
It took quite a long time to make the Bouvier into a uniform breed. That is shown by the heterogeneous origin of the breed.  In 1912 there were two standards. The first recognized the black color, the second didn't. After the first World War the Bouvier was unemployed, the barbed wire of the trenches was now used to keep the cows in the fields. His only task was now to guard the farmyard. The farmers didn't need the Bouvier that much anymore, they became unfaithful to him and his survival became dependent on the fanciers, who didn't look at his functional criteria anymore, but at his appearance. Happily there were few people who understood that this working criteria was one of his biggest trumps and began to test him for defense. Gradually, the Bouvier evolved from a suspicious yard dog to a calm, self-confident dog with a high provocation-threshold (or should we say 'pik-threshold'). It took the breed a long time to get there: he carried the odium of the chained dog a long time with him.

In 1921, the first Bouvier Club was established and two years later, in 1923, the new standard appeared. The Bouvier inspired some of our countries biggest breeders to a life-long passion and devotion.

JUSTIN CHASTEL
In 1932 Justin Chastel showed his first Bouvier, the first of a whole series, that didn't stop until recently.  Hopefully, we will be able to see Bouviers descendants from 'de la Thudinie' at all shows. Chastel is called 'the father of the modern Bouvier', and is recognized in the whole world. He's one of the few breeders of our small country who built a reputation which stood more than 60 years. Dogs of 'de la Thudinie' are on every pedigree of any Bouvier who proved himself.  Chastel worked so consistently and seriously on the building of a uniform Bouvier family that the quarrel about color and type stopped and everyone took his idea of the ideal Bouvier. A great performance.

His breeding method? A dose of inbreeding with relentless selection. Chastel thinks it's wrong to mate different families frequently. It can give some good results but it is futureless. In the first place he looked at fundamental qualities: character, type and movement. He was convinced that a good breeder must be a 'user', that he should work with his dogs, otherwise he can never get a good overview of the temperament
and character.

The character is as complex as the appearance and a good breeder should keep that in mind when mating two dogs. If a breed looses an eminent character quality, the breeders are responsible for that.The goal is not only to breed the exceptional animal that wins a lot of titles, but breeding a bloodline that passes on the normal breed character. These were some ideas in the book that Chastel published. He adds that "the owner of a Bouvier should not expect his dog to be a hero, but that he should be really disappointed if his dog wouldn't defend him when he's in danger".

A second kennel, also a pillar in the construction of the breed, is certainly 'Du Posty Arlequin' of Félix Grulois.

BELGIAN COMPROMISE
The definitive standard of the breed is the one from 1965*. We could say that the breed is only recently recognized.  The quarrel about the ideal appearance lasted for years and this standard is probably the golden mean. The real cradle of the breed - de Westhoek, Roeselare and Ghent - is in Belgium, but also in French-Flandres (where people still speak Flemish), where people said the breed was 'theirs'.  The French didn't want a black Bouvier, the Dutch (here they are again), who adopted the breed during World War I and bred it, liked the black. The Bouvier who didn't have to jump for a hoof anymore, could be bigger and stronger. The case was ended with a big compromise, like everything in the Belgian tradition: the breed was Franco-Belgian, got the pompous name of 'Bouvier Des Flandres', could, if needed, be purely black, with a maximum height of 68 cm. The type that Chastel created was the ideal for the showring. All's well that ends well, you can't turn back history... .

NOSKA AND MANNO
She's dark, wrapped in a mass of rough and dark hair. Once in a while when the sun comes from behind the clouds, you can see one of her dark eyes. Her name is Noska and her breeder got the title 'Topfokker van het Jaar 1992' (Topbreeder of the year 1992) thanks to her. Her small and cropped ears move above the mass of hair and her big feet are jumping in the air, all four together. She has a charming pink tongue. When she likes you, she lies down trying to give you her feet. You can touch her strong ribs.  She's frank and friendly, without suspicion, the opposite of the rough appearance a Bouvier has. That doesn't mean she can't throw herself at the agitator.  She bites the sleeve with all of her teeth. Her silhouette has something compact, shortly built, like the standard wants it. 'Cobby' they call that. The small tail that she kept, is moving funnily in all that hair. When you see her eyes under her eyebrows, she gives you the look of an honest, rustic dog.

Noska - she was the figurehead of her kennel in 1992 - is almost black.  Manno, the older male, is slate-colored and has more prizes than the little lady.  He's a real 'manneke' ('guy'), with strong and big hips, a broad back, a short body, a great coat and both fierce and kind-hearted eyes, a dancing movement and the quality of turning very quickly. He likes defense and bites very well. Don't tease him. But I can touch him, throwing my arms around him. A darling of a 'piekhaar'. I ask the breeder about the qualities of these two dogs: 'A good pigmentation, good teeth, a closed eye, a parallel skull and muzzle, a strong back, a good ear and tail set, a frank movement, good coats, a fierce attitude in the ring, they score high points in the character test and the CQN and are HD free'.

It's difficult for a Belgian dog to become a champion, they have to get a working certificate, where the Dutch dogs 'only' have to be beautiful... .

MATERNITY
The breeder works with his dogs and that takes a lot of his time, but he thinks it necessary to keep beautiful and good Bouviers. That way he can show his dogs in Working Class. We visit the kennel, where 11 bitches are jumping. With Manno the kennel has 3 males and two pups. They stay in neat kennels, near a green grass field. There's also a special maternity where mom and pups spend the first days after birth. It's spotlessly clean out there and I admire the special floor, used in clinics too that keeps contaminations out. What surprises me is that I can put my fingers thru the wiring. The Bouviers bark, but leave my fingers whole, and they are curious. The pups are not shy at all, they jump and are extremely curious. I like all the dogs here, small and big. I see that they are each in a separate kennel: there has to be a good reason.

The breeder looks to the future: in one of the kennels I see a bitch with small uncropped ears, well laid on the head and hanging down. The breeder bought her in the Netherlands (where ear cropping is forbidden for a long time now), she comes from the famous Dutch kennel from which three-quarters of the bloodlines of his dogs come.  She will, if needed, add the good, uncropped hanging ears into his kennel. The dogs out of this kennel come from a cocktail of the 'de la Thudinie' and Dutch dogs with working temperament (special working-bloodlines). When the breeder started in 1975 he saw the problem of the movement. Even now he has to be careful to keep the working temperament and the strong, correct back.

LATE-FLOWERING
What is the character of the typical Bouvier? There are many words for it: kind, social, friendly for kids, willing to work, frump, good guard dog, honest, quiet, affectionate, can adjust himself, is a late-flowering dog. You can't work with him too much, when he's young. This element is clear in his learning-process, where the owner should be very patient. A high percentage of the dogs out of this kennel succeed for the working tests, especially the bitches (!). These dogs and bitches are suitable for both Obedience and 'Veldwerk' ('Fieldwork'). They work a bit slower than a Malinois (who doesn't?) and don't like the heat at all. They are good jumpers, willing, too, so Agility is also a sport.

The pups are born very dark, the breeder selects them at 6 to 7 weeks.  The pups have such strong characters then, that this is very easy. Playing is all they are interested in! Most of the pups come back for grooming, that way it's easy for the breeder and his wife to see the results of their selection, they learn everything about the positive and negative points of a combination. An important advantage for a serious breeder. A lot of buyers here want to work with their dog. The breeder is very happy about that, because every breeder is dependent of what the owners will do with their dogs. He starts to breed the bitches at the age of 5 (after conformation and the CQN) and 2 or 3 litters are more than enough.

The Bouvier is a strong, healthy and vital dog who can easily reach the age of 10, sometimes even older and stays normal until the end. Like in every breed there are some hereditary problems, but these are rare and a good breeder selects carefully and tests the parents.

The Bouvier, the 'piekhaar', a dog from our country: solid, reliable, grim of outward, warm of heart... . The club announces: Belgische Club Belge du Bouvier Des Flandres. Connected at the KKUSH (Koninklijke Kynologische Unie St. Hubertus - Royal Cynological Union St. Hubertus) with number 70. The Bouvier is first mentioned with the Belgian breeds by Prof. Dr. Ad Reul of the veterinarian school in Kuregem in the year 1894.  Around 1912 they appeared in the North of France and the region of Roeselare. Charles Huge published the first detailed description of  the Bouvier in 1919 under the name 'Bouvier Belge'. In 1921 Ph. Gryson of the kennel 'de la Lys' established the Club du Bouvier des Flandres in Ghent. In 1937, a common standard was created by the Belgian and French Club. The Belgian Club changed its name in 1947 into 'Club National Belge du Bouvier Des Flandres' with Florimond Verbanck, Félix-Eugène Verbanck and August Fransket in the committee, all three well-known cynologues and breeders. Félix Verbanck made the Bouvier what he is today. The most important Belgian and Northern France breeders selected their Bouviers and bred them with his good advice.

A new common standard for Belgium and France was approved by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale). In 1974, Justin Chastel, owner of the kennel 'de la Thudinie', became president. He had promoted the type of Bouviers that we know now for 40 years, with great success.  In 1990, Leo Goyvaerts (Topbreeder 1992 with the kennel Von Gewdraa Oel) became president, a true fancier of the working dog with attention to his beauty.

The official club name is now Belgische Club Belge du Bouvier Des Flandres. The members pay attention to the character of the Bouvier. His use as guard-and-defense dog is an important quality for them. To keep that quality they organize selection tests (character tests), CQN (Certificat de Qualité Naturelle - Certificate of Natural Qualities) for defense and tracking, and specialty shows.  Every serious and sporty fancier and/or breeder is welcome as a member.  Warning: there's another club for the Bouvier Des Flandres ('Vereniging voor Vlaamse Koehonden') but that one is not recognized by the KKUSH.

* Please note a new standard was approved  in 2001

This article first appeared in Woef magazine in 1993.  We thank Mrs. Van Royen of Woef, the Belgian magazine for dog lovers, www.woef.be <http://www.woef.be> for her assistance and permission, and Mrs. Nora Snyers for her permission to reprint this article.   We truly appreciate your generosity.  Please note that the Committee of the Belgische Club Belge du Bouvier des Flandres has changed since this article was written in 1993.  The new committee in 2003 is:'Belgische nat. club Belge Bouvier des Flandres' Mr. J.P. Votquenne phone 0032/2-652.59.55. Secretary: Mr.Philippe Henry phone 0032/ 67-45.89.21 Website:
www.lebouvier.be <http://www.lebouvier.be>

Friday, July 06, 2012

Sophie & Stella Bella's Big Adventure


This morning Carol and I took only Stella on an errand, leaving Sophie behind for the first time. The Soph was not happy & a bit confused by the happening.

However, the sweetest thing occurred upon our return. 

Carol let Sophie out of the house. As usual, she charged full tilt to greet me, but this time only offered up a very quick hello & then ran off to Stella to smell where she had been, see if she was ok and to muzzle her a little. It was very touching.  ONLY after that did Sophie return to me for the longer, usual greeting ceremony. 

Later we took both girls to lunch with us. There's a nice restaurant named Toscana with a lovely, shaded patio where they know us. The girls join us at the table, get their own water bowl served to them & we lunch w/o incident as they are both incredibly well behaved. And if  there's anything suitable, they  get  left overs. Today they got some Chicken Paillard.

And today, being a special day, we followed lunch with a trip to Deborah Ann's -- the local sweet shop & ice cream parlor -- where Carol had her scoop of vanilla on a sugar cone, I had my toffee ice cream with  some hot fudge & Sophie had her own small dish of soft vanilla. Stella Bella just wasn't at all interested. 

As it's a bit crowded in the back of my little car, I've noticed that Stella does not make a move to jump into the back seat until she hears me tell Sophie to "move over" which she does.  Then & only then, does Stella join her 'sister' which barely works out but for short trips it's ok.  We get lots of looks, finger pointing, smiles & laughs around town.

However, there's definitely some gymnastics going on back there: Sophie sometime sits on Stella, Stella walks under Sophie to get to the other side & more. But there's not even a murmur of discontent. They are a great pair. Whoever said bitches can't get along with each other? 

My friends refer to me as Jan and his harem. Lucky me.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

From The Gadget Lab

Scary but coming from Microsoft

[...] The new Connected Car will know its riders, and will interact with them naturally via speech, gestures, and face tracking. It will learn their habits, and offer personalized contextual information and driving assists to get them to their destination as quickly and safely as possible. Through a growing catalogue of applications, it will inform and entertain them, and keep them connected with the people and information they care about. The possibilities are endless.