I was introduced to this wonderful breed through my Afrikaaner son-in-law. His family owns boerboels, and he has known these dogs and people who raise them most of his life. He and my daughter went to South Africa for the holidays in December, 2000, and returned with my first pup, Anneke. I have owned and experienced many breeds of dogs in my life, but I must say that never have I met a more intelligent, loyal, and intuitive dog than the boerboel. I fell head over heels in love with them. I cannot imagine a more wonderful feeling than sitting in a comfortable chair with a boerboel’s head resting on your feet or knee. The only thing that might match that feeling is the warmth in your heart when you see a huge boerboel lying in the floor with a toddler leaning on its shoulder, sound asleep.

I decided to breed boerboels because I feel so strongly that they are the ideal family member and guardian for someone who wants a large breed. Unlike many “giant” breeds, the average lifespan of a boerboel is similar to that of smaller breeds. It is not unusual for boerboels to live well into their teens. They do not normally reach full maturity until they are 3-years-old. Another way that boerboels differ from most guardian breeds is that they do not single out one member of the family group as their one-and-only person. A boerboel bonds to the entire family and devotes its life to loving and protecting its family. All it asks in return is lots of praise and affection. During the last two years, I have been privileged to meet a few wonderful people in South Africa who breed and who appraise these wonderful dogs. I have also been privileged to get to know a few SABT breeders here in the US who, like me, only care about breeding dogs with sound physical bodies and wonderful temperaments. This is the beginning of a learning process that I am certain will continue for years.

I have chosen to breed only SABT dogs and to support the SABT wholeheartedly because they are the breeder’s association who set the soundest and most thorough standard for the breed. Their appraisers are very well trained and must continually appraise dogs in order to retain their certification. Their requirements are stringent and no dog will receive breeding papers unless it has attained an appraisal score of 75% or better. This appraisal is not only a comparison of physical characteristics to the ideal standard, but is also a judgment of the dog’s overall temperament. Overly aggressive dogs, no matter how perfect physically, should not be bred or given breeding papers. You may learn much more about the SABT by clicking here.

My hopes as a breeding kennel is to improve the quality of the boerboel breed and to share this exceptional dog with families that meet my criteria as prospective owners. I do not condone dog fighting or using the boerboel for physical bite work, whether with people or with livestock. The South African farmer who developed the boerboel would not keep or breed an overly aggressive dog, and I do not intend to do differently. If I have a pup or dog who seems too aggressive, it will be spayed or neutered and placed in a home with someone who is knowledgable about training large dogs, or it will be euthanized. The option chosen will depend on the situation, the degree of aggression and the type of aggressive behavior the pup/dog exhibits.

Sadly, there is a group of breeders here in the US that are promoting the use of the boerboel in activities in which overly aggressive behavior is rewarded. They are using the word “work” to define professionally training boerboels to bite people and to physically restrain livestock in the way a pit bull was bred to do. Because of this misuse of the boerboel, we will probably soon see our beloved breed earning the reputation that pitbulls and rottweilers have earned because of indiscriminate breeding and the lack of proper socialization and training by owners who do not know any better. These same folks are turning out boerboel pups of questionable quality in the hundreds and selling them to naïve and unsuspecting buyers. I understand that they even breed their bitches immediately after a litter of pups are born in what is called the “puppy heat.” We are now beginning to see dogs from these breeders with crippling and debilitating physical genetic defects enter rescue situations, and I am certain that there will be many, many more as time goes by.

My dogs are not bred until they have reached maturity, and will not be bred unless they have continually exhibited an exceptional temperament and have been hip-tested and duly appraised as breeding quality by a certified SABT appraiser. They will not be bred more than once a year. Most people are aware that breeding can be a bit of a dice game, and that two perfect parents can still produce offspring that are of lesser quality. A good and caring breeder will do their utmost to breed only the best and soundest dogs in hopes of improving the breed. Maintaining the temperamental integrity and improving the physical soundness of the boerboel are two goals I strive for.

Terry Magee