Pyrenean Shepherd Did You Know?

• The Pyrenean Shepherd has been assigned the Herding Group designation.
• The Pyrenean Shepherd has been recorded in the Foundation Stock Service since 2001.
• The breed originated in the French Pyrenees Mountains as a sheep herding dog, working along side of the Great Pyrenees who were used to guard the flocks.
• That it is estimated that the Pyrenean Shepherd may cover 25 miles a day doing chores with the shepherd or farmer.
• That just two Pyrenean Shepherds are enough to manage a flock of 1000 sheep.
• It is believed among residents of the High Pyrenees that when the Virgin Mary appeared to the young shepherdess Bernadette Soubirous in the grotto at Lourdes in 1858, Bernadette had her little Pyrenean Shepherd by her side. The shepherds of the Pyrenees often refer to the breed as "the dog that saw God."
• That members of the breed first distinguished themselves outside the Pyrenees Mountains by dint of their service during World War I. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of Pyrenean Shepherds gave their lives for the cause. They were used as couriers, as search and rescue dogs finding injured soldiers after battles, and to accompany guards on their rounds. J. Dhers, officer in charge of war dogs, remarked the day after final victory that it was his "duty to proclaim" that the Pyrenean Shepherd was "the most intelligent, the most cunning, the most able, and the fastest" among all the breeds used.
• A Pyrenean Shepherd was the 2003 Midi World Agility Champion! Sylvia Trkman's Smooth-Faced blue merle girl "Simply the Best de Loubajac" aka "La" ran a full 6 seconds faster than any other dog!