Page 33 - Great Pyreneese

thousand years ago in Asia Minor. It is very plausible that these large, white dogs arrived in the Pyrenees Mountains with their shepherds about 3000 BC. There they encountered the indigenous people, one of which were the Basques, descendants of Cro-Magnon Man. In the isolation of the Pyrenees Moun- tains over these millenniums, the breed developed the characteristics that make it unique to the group of flock guardian dogs in general and the primarily white members of the group.
By the late 1800s and early 1900s, the state of the breed had deteriorated because there were very few natural predators left in the mountains and the practices of many unscrupulous breed- ers selling to native tourists through the region. In 1907, Monsieur Dretzen from Paris, along with Count de Bylandt of Holland and Monsieur Byasson of Argeles-Gazost, formed the Club du Chien des Pyrenees (CCP) a.k.a. Argeles Club in Argeles-Gazost. They combed the mountains for a group of “faultlessly typical” specimens. Monsieur Dretzen took these dogs back to his kennel in Paris. Also in 1907, the Pastoure Club at Lourdes, Hautes Pyrenees, France, was organized to perpetuate inter- est in the breed. Each club wrote a breed standard.
After the decimating effects of World War I, the breed’s numbers and quality had been severely compromised. A few dedicated breeders, headed by Monsieur Senac Lagrange, worked to restore the breed to its former glory. They joined together the remnants of the two for- mer clubs and formed the Reunion des Amateurs de Chiens Pyreneans which still exists today. It was this club that was responsible for the breed standard being published in 1927. This standard has served as a basis for all current stan- dards for the breed. After World War II,
it was again Monsieur Senac Lagrange who took the lead in getting the breed back on its feet from the devastating effects of the German occupation.
In 1931, Mr. and Mrs. Francis V. Crane imported several dogs and seriously launched the breed in North America with the founding of Basquaerie Ken- nels in Needham, Massachusetts. Their lifelong effort on behalf of the breed provided the breed with an atmosphere in which it could thrive and prosper. They imported important breeding stock out of Europe just before the Con- tinent was closed by World War II. The American Kennel Club accorded the Great Pyrenees official recognition in February, 1933, and beginning in April, 1933, separate classification began for the breed at licensed shows.
Today, the Great Pyrenees is a work- ing dog as well as a companion and family dog. Most never see a show ring, but they are trusted and beloved members in homes and may function as livestock guardian dogs on farms and ranches. They are very social dogs in the family but can be wary of strangers in the work environment (this includes the home). They adapt easily to other situations such as dog shows and make extraordinary ambassadors for the breed in settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. They have a special abil- ity to identify and distinguish predators or unwelcome intruders.
The very traits that make Great Pyre- nees such a unique breed and “Pyr peo- ple” find so admirable can also make living with them a challenge. Great Pyr- enees are livestock guardian dogs. They were bred to be left alone in the moun- tain valleys. They are guard dogs by instinct, not by training and they can- not be expected to welcome uninvited intrusions onto your property. They are not “attack” dogs but can be very
“THEY ARE VERY
SOCIAL DOGS IN
THE FAMILY
BUT CAN BE WARY OF STRANGERS IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT.”
254 • SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, AUGUST 2017