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DUTCH SMOUSHOND |
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In the late 1800s the German Coarsehaired Pin-scher, grandfather of the modern Schnauzer, was common throughout Germany. The Germans preferred the black or salt/pepper dogs and usually destroyed the red or yellow whelps which were common in litters at that time. An enterprising Dutch merchant named Abraas cleverly—and
cheaply—bought these German "rejects" and brought them to Holland.
They were sold on the streets of Amsterdam as heeren-stalhonden, or
gentlemen's stable dogs.
The yellow,
roughhaired little charmers caught on and developed into the Smoushond.
The breed enjoyed recognition from the FCI as well as the Dutch Kennel
Club and was a popular family dog in the early part of the 20th century.
In the years between the Wars, his numbers were greatly reduced, and he
all but vanished during WWII. The last two litters were bred in 1949,
with none following, and soon he was dropped from official roll calls
and declared to be extinct.
In the early
1970s a Dutch woman, who had poignant memories of the Smoushonden owned
by herself and friends in the 1940s, decided to recreate the breed. She
advertised, asking for anyone owning a mongrel which bore resemblance
to the accompanying photo to contact her. In a small country like the
Netherlands, it was actually possible to go and check out each of these
leads personally. If the "approved" dog was a female, this woman
asked the owners to breed the dog once to a stud of her choice, and, of
course, chose an appropriate male. She was dedicated to her task and went
to look at each puppy born and still does even now, assisted by
other breed wardens. In fact, this Dutch dog lover sees each Smoushond
born in the Netherlands four or five times before breeding age, keeping
photo records and recommending possible breeding partners.
By 1977, a specialty
club had been refounded and recognition was forthcoming from the Raad
van Beheer (Dutch KG) and the FCI. The breed is once again on fairly firm
footing, and the modern proponents want to keep it that way. They are
very cautious about breeding practices to forestall genetic problems and
as yet have no interest in selling any outside the Netherlands,
The Smous is
an affectionate and friendly fellow, totally devoid of nervousness, yappiness
or wanderlust. His rough but short jacket is quite easy to care for and
provides adequate protection. Although the standard allows for an uncut
tail, most are docked, leaving one-third to be carried gaily. As the standard
states, the Smous should be "a pleasant and easy family dog."
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