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Bouvier des Flandres. Rowena`s story. rowena@globalnet.co.uk
Our love affair with Bouviers started about 14 years ago, when we were living in London. I saw one in a vets surgery one day and promptly fell in love. My husband took a bit of persuading but eventually we found a puppy and that started us off.
We had quite a few problems with our new puppy and eventually Myfanwy, as she was called, had to be rehomed away from people and children. She ended up guarding racing greyhounds.
But we were not put off, in fact we were more determined than ever, and after a period ,found an 18month old male called Digger, who came to live with us on our 10acre smallholding in a rural part of North Wales. He is still with us 11years later, if a bit greyer and a little bit arthritic ,and hard of hearing now in his `mature` years.
Not long after Digger came to stay we were offered a bitch puppy, and so Belinda came to live with us.
Fortunately or unfortunately Digger was unable to perform "Stud" duties, and we eventually had him castrated which was the best thing we could have done for him, as every season time he was driven mad with desires, and we thought him liable to a heartattack one day.
We found a stud for Belinda when she was 5years old, and we had a small litter ( 5 survivors), and kept the only bitch in the litter and named her Comfrey. Other homes were found for the other pups, one even went to live in Barbados, to live in the sun, to a home right on a beach.
And so life pottered on. We don't show our dogs, as we do not have the time, and also have other commitments.
This year, however tragedy struck, Comfrey, now a 5year old was diagnosed with leukaemia and had to be put to sleep after a rapid downhill illness. We brought her home and buried her under a young monkey-puzzle tree. We used to call her "little Monkey". We were heartbroken.
Then, Belinda, her 10year old mother was diagnosed with an untreatable womb infection, which had spread and caused all sorts of nasty things to happen to her body. Her days were now numbered. Had we neglected her ailments, because we had been so busy looking after her daughter ? We shall never know.
We buried Belinda along side her daughter, and planted some Comfrey Plants alongside them, with small plaques.
Digger was absolutely lost without his companions and hearing partners. We just hoped that he would not go into a decline, which would be the last straw.
We though about getting a puppy, but it was heartbreaking to see other dark coloured " boovs", similar to the girls we had lost.
Then, when we had just about given up, I had a phone call. Would I be interested in a 2 1/2 year old fawn coloured bitch, whose elderly owner could not look after her any more. Yes……
And so Belle came to live with us. She has a few problems, but nothing that we cannot handle or live with. And Digger quite likes this blonde hussy!!
In fact Digger and Belle are related on the maternal side !
And so our story carries on, I have since been learning about computers and the Internet, and so have been able to "meet" other owners overseas, I have even found another Rowena who has two Bouvs, the otherside of the world. But what makes it so interesting is, that we all live with this fairly rare breed of dog, and they get up to all the same sort of tricks.
Are these our replacement children? Our children have all grown up and left the nest, but our dogs are here to keep us company, and give us so much affection and joy, that we don`t mind the grooming of them, or the looking after of them . We are happy and so I think are our canine companions.
Belle and Digger up to mischief. Who is leading who astray ?
Digger's Last Portrait
