Belgian Sheepdog

Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael) Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Belgian dog lovers noticed that the quality of the sheepdogs was degenerating and that they sometimes showed signs of viciousness. With the support of the university faculty of veterinary science, specialists decided to stabilize definitively the breed of Belgian Sheepdog. The dog breeder Nicholas Rose played a very important part in this long and delicate undertaking. One of his sheepdog litters, Mr. Rose found an all black bitch with long hair. At the end of the nineteenth century, black was an unusual color for a dog's coat, and it was therefore decided to search out an identical male. A year later, the little bitch, Petite, had a mate, Picard. In 1898, the couple bore a litter of all black puppies which became the sensation of the dog world. Because of the success of the new Belgian Sheepdog, dog lovers wanted to give the breed the name of its developer. Rose. Rose, however, was not the right name for an all black dog; so, since Mr. Rose was the owner of Groenendael castle on the outskirts of Brussels, it was decided that Groenendael should be the official name of the Belgian Sheepdog.