The Bouvier we are sure, like many of the breeds, has its mystery and its legends. We lived within a time when the dogs were brought to the United States and became popular with many people. While you may believe it is a rare breed, it is present more than you know, but not as much as a Golden Retriever or a Poodle. It is at last count number 80 on the AKC popularity list.

HISTORY FACT VS FICTION"

When we first were owners of the breed we only knew the dog we owned, We did not know the Breed. It is through showing, and our mentors that we were submerged in knowledge that many never bothered to consume. We read the history of the breed and realized that the history was peppered with some fiction and some reality. The dog was painted as the Rin tin tin of the first and second world wars. If a person who owns a Bouvier were to reflect on the claims of the breed's most prolific author they would realize that much of what is written is not accurate.

HEALTH AND THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION:

We do not believe in posting our health records on the OFA site. Sadly, as of this writing in 2024 we know of at least 8 Bouvier and ours makes 9 that were inaccurately reported in their health exams by the OFA on the health foundations website! This is in Bouvier alone! We suspect that the person transcribing the health outcomes must get up for a cup of coffee and return and transcribe inaccurate information. Unfortunately, not only did they do this to the 8 other Bouvier owners who bothered to run health exams, they also suggested to these owners that they no longer had the substantiating paperwork to uphold the passing health exams, and that the owners were expected to re-run the testing and re submit the outcomes AGAIN AT THEIR EXPENSE! They give no thought of the cost of this repeated testing or the effort that it requires!!!!!

Heart testing alone is hard to come by these days. Those seeking a heart test often must wait 6-8 months for a visit to the Specialist and Eye exams have seen a change in the Vets providing this service as well. We went from one day a month and you must call withing a certain time period to secure that exam to we collect the people who want an exam and call you when we have a full slate. The breeder who needs these exams to insure a healthy dog is left in the lurch!

When Bajoron experienced the first ever (that they knew of) mistake made by the OFA, The American Bouvier des Flandres club had a couple of members who nefariously during the Nationals in St Louis visited our vet to obtain our health exams to check the validity of our claim of the OFA's error, under the premise that they wanted to buy a puppy from us and "be sure" . The incident ended with an Oklahoma Breeder and her friend a Texas Breeder obtaining all Bajorons health tests from the OFA under the guise of them pretending to be a Bajoron Bouvier representative. This was substantiated by Ed Dziuk in a conversation. It is for this reason we hold our own health checks for safety. We reported this act that Ed admitted on our website, and then he wrote us a very nasty email that threatened us as well. He is an officer of the OFA had no right to issue the sorts of threats that he did. We no longer pay to have our health records placed on their website. He has sullied our beliefs that it is an entity that has the breeders best interests in mind when reporting.

We recently spoke with a person who is both in the Bouvier club and a vet and she said, "word on the street is you do not post on the OFA. . .What are you hiding?" To this person and any other person who asks this quesiton. We are hiding NOTHING. We are very proud of our Health testing and if you come to our home and pick up a dog we will show you the documents that clear our dogs from HIPS, ELBOWS, HEART, EYES AND THYROID, when applicable. We health test for our program and for us to make sound decisions in our breeding. We are honest and true to ourselves and those we service. Without the background info that we hold on the foundaiton of the dogs who passed on illness coupled with sound and full coverage health testing by specialists, our dogs maintain a solid health reputation. WE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE. . . this is not the case with all programs and we know this intimately from what we have exprienced and seen with our own eyes. We suspect that rumors are passed to try to ruin our reputation but our dogs and their over all health, speak for themselves.

After all it is in our best interest to health test so that we can maintain the highest quality, we are able to, in the breeding of our dogs. While it does benefit our buyers, the practice is for us to make good decisions. Breeding a dog that does not pass its health testing is not a wise practice for the good of your program! It flavors the outcome of litters for years to come and does not help your legacy.

If you look carefully at the OFA and a dog you may see that many claim to use the OFA or have Chic numbers (canine health identification certificates) this does not mean that the dog passed all its testing, it means that they were checked for eye, heart, hips and elbow health. if someone does not check in these areas they should even consider breeding. . .yet even those that make the claims that they OFA test, in many cases are found to be lying or missing many tests. Our vets often shake their heads at the many explanations they hear that the breeders use to justify the use of dogs who do not pass their health exams. It often comes down to desperation and money guiding their poor choices, not the sound peace of mind that healthy dogs cause. The buyers are left to be the guinea pigs and many never realize the poor choices their breeders have made!

We see this often and we see it very often in the Bouvier in advertising meant to give the reader a false sense of security.

European dogs do not have the same criteria for health testing yet they have the same illnesses and the same issues the American and Canadian dogs do. They do not have a data base or really an entity that provides specialists in the areas that are found in the States. It is for this reason that a purchase of a European dog is truly a leap of faith compared to the criteria that breeders who actually health test use.

Just recently we saw and ad for a European litter it said, " HDA, ED Clean, ECV clean, Incl ICCAA (gonio)" , We went to the FCI and it said that the Club for each country governs the health of each dog that is under them. Upon closer look there is NO MENTION OF THE DOGS WE SAW THE AD FOR NOR ANY MENTION OF HEALTH ON THE BELGIUM SITE, DUTCH SITE, FRENCH SITE AND SO IT IS REALLY UP TO EACH BREEDER WHAT THEY DO. There is NO central site to hold the data or that tests with the same criteria that the United States dogs are tested with. Simply seeing a proclaimation by the Breeder is NEVER ENOUGH TALK TO THEM AND FIND OUT WHAT CRITERIA WAS USED TO DETERMINE THAT THEIR DOGS WERE AND ARE CLEAN OF HEART DISEASE, GLAUCOMA, CATARACTS AND THYROID DISEASE. While we have an issue with OFA and their accuracy in reporting on line, the across the board criteria for healthy dogs is far more publisized and health sacred in the United States, than it is in European and other countries. We want to add that the language barrier also presents some confusion as well so best you admire but not purchase. A purchase from Europe is truly a roll of the dice for both a private lay person and a Bouvier officianado.

Do not ever fall for the statements that "We have no illness in our lines" . It is in any dog that comes from the foundation stock and that is all Bouvier. It is through knowledge of the map of inheritance that a breeder can be cautious and guard against a prolific production of illness issues. If a breeder ever says they have never had illness, they either have not bred much, have not checked their dogs well, or simply are not acknowledging what they know. Don't fall for anyone who has been in the breed for less than 15-20 years to have accurate sense of information as they have not experienced over a great deal of time the inheritance map that shows illnesses coming from the 1950s and the 1960s.

Line breeding dogs who come from lines that suggest illness is the quickest way to produce Glaucoma, Heart Disease and Cataracts to name a few illnesses often found. Please believe us in this as it is truly our passion to eliminate genetic caused illness in our dogs and their puppies!