Most of us have breeds that are the beneficiaries of the dedicated vision of a few, or even just one person. In the 19th century, M. Adrien Janssens, a professional shepherd from a suburb of Brussels, was that one person for the Belgian Laekenois.

Janssens was allowed to graze his sheep in the park adjacent to the Laeken Castle where the royal family lived (and yes, the breed is named after this castle and village). His dogs were “yellow and fox” colored dogs, but in his vision, color was unimportant. His motto was,  “A good dog can’t wear a bad suit,” and he never let color influence the direction of his breeding program.

In 1885, Janssens purchased the dog now considered to be the foundation stud of the Belgian Laekenois – “Vos I” – from a cattle dealer in the village of Boom. He bred Vos to “Lise,” and together they produced highly intelligent, biddable, and superbly talented herding dogs. They also produced tousle-haired curly-coated pups that would provide the basis of this variety of Belgian sheepdog.

Color, however, would become a contentious issue in subsequent years, and by 1898, the fussing had begun.  The Club du Chien de Berger Belge voted to recommend that the classification of the varieties be based upon the three coat types with determined colors, and that the Belgian “rough hairs” could only be grey colored. This essentially shut the door on the more prevalent yellow/fawn colored rough hairs and kept them out of breeding programs until the decision was reversed in 1908 when all the colors were allowed again. In 1978, the fawn color was determined to be the only color for the Laekenois, and with the FCI, it remains the only acceptable color. With the AKC, however, all shades of red or fawn or in grayish tones will be allowed when the breed gains full recognition. Thanks to Janssens, the essential qualities that make the Laekenois what it is are set, whatever its color.

Image of Belgian Laekenois by Kathryn Doomy iStock