In the dairy belt of northern France, the Briard, or Chien Berger de Brie as the breed is known in his homeland, has been working pastures since the time of Charlemagne. The breed is named for the dairy-producing region of Brie, best known for the gooey cheese of the same name. French farmers, known for frugality, developed Briards as two-in-one dogs: They are sheepherders famed for quicksilver agility, and are also tough, courageous flock guardians capable of running off sheep-steeling predators. The Briard is a close relative of the smooth-coated Beauceron, another French pasture breed known for its dual herding and guarding ability. By the 1800s, the Briard was a cherished French institution—even Napoleon, who had an aversion to dogs, was said to be a fan of the breed. The Briard was proudly exhibited at the very first French dog show, at Paris in 1865. By the time of World War I, the Briard was so much a part of the national character that it was named the official war dog of the French army, doing sentry duty, finding wounded soldiers, and pulling supply carts. Origin stories of Briards in America feature two towering figures in the War of Independence. Thomas Jefferson enters the story in 1789, at the end of his long tenure as America’s ambassador to France. Before he departed for home, the future President acquired a pregnant Briard named Bergère (“pd. for a chienne bergere big with pup, 36 libre,” he wrote in his memorandum book). Bergère and her pups proved to be magnificent herders and all-around working dogs at Jefferson’s Virginia estate, Monticello. But, as a Monticello historian wrote, “Bergère’s employment was secondary to her role as founder of the American branch of her family.” Indeed, Bergère and her brood, augmented by exports sent from France by Jefferson’s old friend and Revolutionary hero the Marquis de Lafayette, are thought to be the Briard’s foundation in the United States. In the many years since, Briard owners worldwide have echoed the words Jefferson wrote in praise of these remarkable dogs: “Their extraordinary sagacity renders them extremely valuable, capable of being taught almost any duty that may be required of them, and the most anxious in the performance of that duty, the most watchful and faithful of all servants.”
