Boerboel Farm Dogs

Female Boerboel for Adoption in Michigan - Tula

Tula, Female Boerboel for Adoption

Tula is a female Boerboel that is currently located in a shelter in Michigan. We are looking for someone to adopt her or foster her. She needs to get out of the shelter as soon as possible, as they will only hold her for a short period of time.

She was brought in by someone who said they found her two months ago. He said she looked like she had been running. She was very thin and in poor shape. When found, she weighed 120 pounds. The shelter is not sure what she weighs now, but she is not thin anymore. The person who brought her to the shelter said that she is house-trained, and was good with his kids. He released her to the shelter because he travels, and she is too much dog for his wife to manage when he is gone.

Tula was released to the county on January 6, 2012. A person at the shelter went out with the trustee to get Tula from the van. She was great getting out of the car for the trustee and walked right up to the shelter worker. She walked well on leash, and licked the shelter worker's hand as she stood waiting for Tula to check her out. The remainder of that day, Tula was quiet in her pen and would lick the shelter worker's hand through the fence and was friendly.

The shelter's most experienced volunteer tested Tula on Saturday. Tula has no chip that they could find. She was fine when given the hug test that they do. They put their arm around the dog's head and lift the far paw. She also passed the resource test with canned food. They touch the dog while they are eating using a fake hand and then reach in the bowl. The tester then brought in a medium-sized Aussie mix (male) to test Tula with other dogs. She did not react to him at all. The testers did notice as they were walking dogs by on leash that she would bark and become agitated.

On January 9th, the volunteers worked with Tula again. They brought in a Border Collie/GSD mix (female). After a few seconds, Tula charged the gate that separated the dogs. They questioned her with other dogs.

She also has a pad on her right hind leg that has an open sore on it. You can see it in one of her pictures. There are also a couple of other hot spots on her skin and some scabs. Otherwise, her coat looks good. She is a drooler! She takes treats gently, loves her rump rubbed and looks like she may have had puppies in the past.

We need to find Tula a foster family or permanent home that can take her in and give her the love that she needs. The shelter where she is currently located does not have a screening process for adoptions, and they are afraid that she could end up in the wrong hands. Plus, her time at the shelter is limited. She could also start to stress out from being in the shelter -- behavior can change and she most likely would be euthanized. The shelter workers believe she would be a good girl in the right hands with the right people.

Working Boerboel Events/Seminars

It is exciting that there are some groups organizing some working events for Boerboels. I plan to attend both events with Azaan and Jaf.

The American Boerboel Club is hosting several fun and educational events in early 2012. A two-day tracking seminar is scheduled for the end of March 2012, and a herding instinct test (HIC) is along with a temperament test (ATTS) is scheduled for May 2012. All events are open to all breeds, with preference given to Boerboels.

The temperament test and HIC test are scheduled for May 5th and 6th, and they are being conducted at Keepstone Farm in Berryville, VA. The two-day tracking seminar is scheduled for March 31-April 1, and it is being held in Upper Marlboro, MD. All breeds and beginner trackers are welcome.

It sounds like a great time! Please come out and join us. For additional information and to sign-up, visit:

American Boerboel Club Upcoming Events

Tracking Boerboels

I haven't posted photos of my own dogs in a few months, so I figured I needed to get back to it! I have been tracking both dogs, and they enjoy it very much. I have a lot of fun with it too! These are a few photos taken this week of the dogs tracking over short grass as well as going through high vegetation in a field. Hopefully I will be able to get them tested soon so that we can enter a tracking trial.

The track started in a field of low grass where the higher vegetation was on the side:

Quo Vadis Barracuda (Jaf) Tracking

Then the track took a left turn into the higher vegetation. Both dogs easily made the turn and the transition into the field.

Quo Vadis Barracuda (Jaf) Tracking

There was another left turn in the field, then the track crossed a dirt/gravel road into a mowed area:

Quo Vadis Barracuda (Jaf) Tracking

Quo Vadis Barracuda (Jaf) 'Tracking

The track turns left and goes between two large pine trees. The article was on the other side of the pines. Good job, Jaf!

Quo Vadis Barracuda (Jaf) Tracking

Azaan tracks through the fields with the lower grass:

Power's Legendary Azaan Tracking

The track turns left into a field with higher vegetation:

Power's Legendary Azaan Tracking

Azaan's track also went through the large pine trees to one of the articles on the other side, but I didn't get any pictures. Both dogs love to track, and we are having a lot of fun with it!

Female Boerboel for Adoption

This lovely brindle girl is available for adoption. She is 6 years old, and has been living in a home with a Weimeraner, Dachshund and Shiba Inu. She gets along with the other dogs, and is fine with people once she has a proper introduction. Her name is Nandi, and she is currently located in Northern VA outside of Washington DC.

I do not have a lot of information on this girl. If you think you might be interested, respond to this post and I will put you in touch with her owners. She looks like a nice dog.

Nandi is crate trained and housebroken. She is extremely docile for a Boerboel. Apparently she just wants to crawl into your lap and lick your face. She is up-to-date on all shots and microchipped.

Sit Stay and Down Stay at the Outdoor Shopping Plaza

I took the dogs to the outdoor shopping plaza a few days ago, and worked on their sit stay and down stay with distractions. I would say they did pretty well!

Azaan in her sit stay:

Azaan and Jaf in a group down stay:

Boerboel Rescue: Young Brindle Male Boerboel for Adoption in Maryland

There is a young brindle male Boerboel located in Southern Maryland that is looking for a permanent home. He looks like a nice dog. Hopefully someone will consider him in lieu of buying a puppy. He was born on 11/15/2009, so he is only about 1-1/2 years old. His name is Bronx.

He is currently located with www.SecondHopeRescue.org in Southern Maryland. All pertinent info and contact information listed in the following Photoshow.

Boerboel Rescue: Bronx, 1-1/2 year Brindle Male for Adoption

If you think you are interested, contact www.SecondHopeRescue.org. Thank you!

Boerboels by the "Score"

In my opinion, the appraisal system for Boerboels is being over-used to sell puppies. If you are looking at Boerboel puppies, don't get caught up in the arbitrary score assigned by an appraisal system, a hip score or health score. These are only numbers, and are not indicative of the dog that you will be getting. At the end of the day, assess your requirements for a dog. You won't be living with a piece of paper or a score sheet. The Boerboel was meant to be a working dog, not a score.

A quick Google query of "Boerboel Puppies for Sale" shows the heavy advertising of Boerboels based on their score. The score doesn't make the dog, it's a way to advertise puppies and brag that your puppies are better than the next guys. Form follows function, not the other way around.