The Keeshond  (Kayz-hawnd, Keeshonden-plural)

Dutch Barge Dog, Smiling Dutchman, German Spitz, Wolfspitz

 

The Keeshond is thought to have been developed in the Arctic regions of the world during the 18th century like so many other Spitz-type dogs. There are legends about the breed and how it appeared on Friesland shores when a Viking ship floundered off the coast of Holland. The whole crew drowned apart from the Chieftain’s son and a dog. They were rescued by a fisherman called Christian but their boat was blown off course by the storm and they were driven south before being able to get ashore. To thank his rescuer a chapel was erected which was dedicated to St Olav the patron saint of Mariners. The rescued son’s name was Wolfert and his dog witnessed everything that occurred. This is where the legend ends but the story of the origins of the Keeshond continues in fact.

The fishing village where Wolfert’s rescue boat is supposed to come ashore is the Amstel Rivers flows into the sea and thanks to many storms during the 13th Century the estuary was to become that much bigger so it created the Zuider Zee which meant a dam was constructed across the stretch of water to what was to become Amsterdam where everyone always remembers the story of the little dog and the legend. This led to many sailors believing that to have a dog on board a ship would bring good luck to a voyage and as such it became customary to do so and nobody would rob a ship because of these excellent guard dogs.

With this said throughout time the Keeshond has always been highly prized in their native Holland for being excellent at protecting flocks of livestock and they were often seen being used to hunt down skunks. However they were always bred to be companion dogs rather than to work and quickly found a fan base in Europe more especially in the Netherlands.

The breed was further developed in Holland Germany Italy and France by enthusiasts when they were crossed with German Spitz-type dogs. In the late 1700's Cornelius de Gyselaar became the leader of the Dutch Patriot Party leading the Dutch Patriots against William of Orange. He decided to use his Keeshond as the emblem and mascot of his party. However when the Patriots succumbed to the House of Orange the breed faced near extinction as they were abandoned or destroyed by owners who did not want to be associated with the rebellion.

It took a hundred years for the breed to come to the attention of people again but then World War I broke out followed by the Second World War which seriously impacted breed numbers yet again especially when the German army realised that Keeshonds were being used to carry messages by the resistance which meant as soon as a dog was spotted they were immediately shot.

Thanks to the endeavours of Baroness von Hardenbroek the Keeshond was saved from vanishing forever when she found some dogs and began a breeding programme during the 1920's which was to see breed numbers rise over the ensuing decades. To begin with these charming little dogs were registered with The Kennel Club as the Dutch Barge Dog and the first Keeshond to be exhibited in the show ring was in 1923 after which time their popularity grew throughout the land as well as elsewhere in the world. Today the Keeshond remains a popular choice both as companion dogs and family pets thanks to their charming smiling faces and their kind loyal and affectionate natures.