Historical instances of Molosser types, bullenbitjers and other foundation breeds used in the Boerboel are recorded in history

1652 - 1800s Jan Van Riebeeck arrives with "bullenbitjer" type dogs. Voortrekkers move north, breeding them with various other indigenous and Molosser breeds.

1900s - 1983 Farmers perpetuate traits but with no fixed breed standard and "loose" breeding rules allowing for numerous other breeds to be used. Dogs are known as "boele", with temperament being the singular unifying attribute.

Functions and form vary according to the individual farmer's needs and wants resulting in no "pure-breed" type consistency common in established breeds.

Considerable diversity in form is evident - leaner athletic types, thicker heavy-set types, shorter stockier types and a range of colours exist.

1983-1998 A breed standard is defined, setting the picture of the "perfect" Boerboel (which is what this NEW breed is called).

Form and function is set out - as well as the rules for disqualifying a dog of this new breed. Foundation dogs are searched for from the pool of "boele" and decided on.

SABT is formed and the various processes are set in motion to establish this new breed as per the new breed standard.

1998 - present Schisms begin to form within the SABT both of a personal and political nature.

Other Boerboel representative organisations start to flourish (HSBA, EBBASA, BI etc). Arguments over the breed standard driven by perspective and marketability give rise to a fractitious community (not uncommon in other established breeds) most notably the change to the breed standard to remove the colour black as a disqualifying trait - expressly driven by the higher price these dogs attract.

The main organisation, SABBS, alters the breed standard to allow the colour black succumbing to pressures for greater marketability.

2 main schools of thought prevail today and remain hotly debated:
1. Being true to the picture of the new breed - the Boerboel - as created in the breed standard of 1983 and the vision the founders had
2. Altering that breed standard to allow other attributes (in this instance, the colour black).

The possibility remains that other attributes may also be introduced later. This debate will rage for years to come, but the reality is that Boerboels will be bred according to these 2 primary schools of thought.

And as the breeding continues, a degree of phenotypical uniformity will still beachieved.

As times progress, phenotypical uniformity is achieved, as the "show" dog becomes the predominant sort after ideal, driven mostly by market forces.

A bastion of breeders will remain - that wish to preserve the intent and vision of the 1983 founders of the Boerboel and with a view to the "boele" on which the Boerboel was founded.

Fewer and fewer breeders will however pursue this as the bulk of breeders will be driven by the inevitable force of the "show dog".

PS. Kaizen Boerboels is one of the few :)