Anetoest 1972
Maryann and I saw our first Great Pyrenees in 1972 when Maryann's mother was moving from a house to an apartment and could not take her Great Pyrenees "Snowey". Snowey came to live with us and our then three young children. How innocently some lifetime passions can begin! Now over 30 years later, three more children, and now two grandchildren, Maryann and I have pursued a remarkable adventure involving this great ancient breed with the most noble character one can imagine. Mary Crane said to "Own one is to want one forever". Certainly true words. Along the way we have made lifelong friends, met and befriended people all over the world also in love with our great breed, known lovingly in France as "Patou".
We pioneered the establishment of Great Pyrenees working the many farms and other livestock guardian situations here in the great southeastern United States. At present (May, 2004) we have placed over 70 dogs in working environments over these thirty plus years and counting. We have dogs working for the USDA in the Virgin Islands, at agricultural colleges, and many farms, aviaries, etc. The Great Pyrenees is a remarkable working dog and a remarkable loving guardian to many families and special needs groups. With the movement of the coyote into the southeastern United States and the explosion of goat herding in the region the breed is needed more and more across the region and North America. While many breeders such as ourselves have experienced great success in the show dog world, the ultimate expression of the Great Pyrenees is as a working dog. In this capacity as a breed they are equal to all.
We have along the way personally finished over 50 dogs to their AKC championship. We have bred many more that finished their AKC and Canadian Championships. We have had Best In Show, Specialty winning, Group placing Great Pyrenees. We have imported three dogs from the Pyrenees Mountain in France and incorporated some of this "blood" in our breeding program. A breeding program dedicated to the ideal as established by Quibbletown and before them Cote de Neige and presently line breeding on these legendary ancestors. C. Seaver Smith, Jr. of Quibbletown was our mentor till his recent death. We believe strongly that all good things come from or through Quibbletown. Our success over this long period of time does not tell us otherwise. How do we know all this? About seven years ago I embarked on a genetic study on the breed. I did this by using CompuPed software program. I personally entered now close to 14,000 dogs in the data base that goes back to France as far as the early 1900's. This data base allows us to calculate the inbreeding coefficients and homozygous percentages of contemporary dogs and to evaluate projected breeding value for same on prospective litters. It also allows us to tag genetic problems to keep track of how these might affect our breeding program. I know the important ancestors of every dog we breed and every dog we use or plan to use in our breeding program. You will see glimpses of this date in the pedigrees I post here on line.
In 2002 I published a book titled The Great Pyrenees, From France With Love. This hardcover book contains more than 360 pages and over 600 pictures and illustrations. I follow the breed from its likely origins and from the Pyrenees Mountains in Southwestern France around the world in history and information about the great dogs from France that went to many countries around the world.
Maryann and I are members of the Great Pyrenees Club of America now for over 30 years. We are also members of the French Club for the breed the Réunion des Amateurs de Chiens Pyrénéens since 1986. Since 1986 we have traveled to the Pyrenees Mountains region to study the breed and get to know it better in its homeland at least once per year, missing only 2003. I presently serve the Great Pyrenees Club of America as Chairman of the Historic Preservation Committee, Chairman of the International Film Exchange, and in 2002 I was elected to the Board of Directors of the Great Pyrenees Club of America. I was recently reelected (2005) to serve on the Board of Directors of the Great Pyrenees Club of America and was also elected Vice President. I have also been honored to be chosen to speak at the Third World Conference for Great Pyrenees held this year in the Pyrenees Mountains in Argeles-Gazost, France in September, 2005. The topic of my presentation at the World Conference is genetics and health of the breed.
The future? We are encouraged to judge and have judged many times sweepstakes and national futurity events at specialties. This may be something for the future, but breeding the Great Pyrenees is the most important calling to us. The breed faces many problems due to its misuse in the hands of novice breeders, unscrupulous breeders, and ignorant breeders. This will continue and exacerbate due to the explosion in popularity of the breed to work the many farms and ranches. The breeds success could be its undoing as no other breed does it any better than the Great Pyrenees. In my book, The Great Pyrenees, From France With Love, I analyze the phonotypical qualities of the correct Great Pyrenees as it relates to its function as a guardian. All those beautiful qualities of the breed really do have a functional purpose.
For information about the breed try the resource center.