On November 17 (Kathy) and November 20 (Jim),
I had the pleasure of speaking at length with Jim (age 80) and Kathy Engel (age 76) by phone. Although retired from breeding "for some years," they remain at their home in Marengo, Illinois, where they've lived, bred, and trained Bouviers for decades. Now, keeping company with just one, surviving, 8-year old, Bouvier from their once infamous lines.
Life is winding down, but Jim and Kathy both remain both working out in a gym several days a week; and Jim enjoys long bike rides several mornings a week. Jim also keeps busy writing his "memoirs," which he plans to complete soon and publish in 2024. With his salty, but sobering, sense of humor, Jim says, "If I live long enough to do it - but I should!" Even when time catches up with Jim, he will remain immortal in the record books of Bouvier lovers.
The truth is Jim is a survivor. The social dynamics of "dog people" demands a certain toughness and resilience - and the ability to laugh - in order to do anything lasting for the love of the breed. As with most breeds clubs, there are always people in the community who will ambush, criticize, and make you crazy. Few people, like Jim, can steer the course through the social storm.
Jim's scholarly writing, meticulous documentation, uncommon experience, and deep interconnectedness to the Bouvier community, at a pivotal time in the breed's history in America, make his work indelible and everlasting.
In short: Jim Engel is a legend, a tall-tale, and an unflappable icon in the American Bouvier des Flandres community. It is both an honor and good fortune to be able to ask Jim for his reflections on 50+ years of knowing Bouviers.
What Makes A Great Bouvier?
Jim's thoughtful response began with an analogy. What makes a good football player? You have to consider his position. What are the skills he needs? The body type? The intelligence? The same is true for a great Bouvier.
Jim's on-the-fly example is brilliant. It encapsulates the intangible qualities as well as making their physical details and intellectual gifts more concrete by giving them specific contexts. Further, Jim illustrates the importance of kinesiology: how the body is made to support specific movements, as he details "What Makes A Great Bouver?"
Keep in mind, Centauri Bouviers, Jim's lines, are working dogs. "Working" does not mean herding sheep or pulling carts. Working dogs are trained for military, police, Schutzhund, and other similar protective sports. While building his lines, Jim extracted the temperaments and physiques he wanted from both domestic and international working, show, and herding lines. To earn the trust of other breeders, who would sell pups to Jim, he needed to be knowledgeable of their lines, their capabilities, and their limitations.
"90%+ of American lines are crap." - Jim Engel
They won't meet these basic, physical, standards that make the Bouvier built to work and/or sustainably healthy.
PHYSICAL OR TEMPERAMENT TRAIT | UTILITY |
durable, agile | fewer injuries |
intelligent: thinks fast AND shows discernment (smart decisions) | quick and efficient in the moment |
assertive with discretion | will not accept unfair treatment / will not be aggressive without cause |
courage and persistence | dual purpose dog: police and home |
short, efficient, stride (aka "couple" by Engel)* | increases agility: the ability to quickly move out of harm's way (from cows or people) |
the ability to build a relationship with the Bouv | controllable, trainable, manageable |
alert expression (some Bouvs have an undesirable, vacant, expression) reflecting a situational awareness | attentiveness to details = ability to be trained, to connect commands to the details it observes |
rough coat, stiff | less grooming required, all-weather coat that will shake off dried mud, less matting |
chest size: barrel-chested, not exceptionally deep-chested. Not narrow and deep like a sight hound (think Afghan, running long distances).* | built for endurance activities, not sprints; excessively massive chest size makes it difficult for Bouvs to have a smooth stride (proper movement) |
wide skull | skull width = power of grip (aka bite) |
relatively mild back slope, mostly straight | helps to produce a short stride (couple) |
proportional leg length (square build) | proper movement. "If it walks like a bulldog, it has short legs like a bulldog." No Basset Hound legs. No Afghan legs. Seeking bodily "squareness" between the neck and the tail. |
* chest size and short stride must match to get the maximum kinesthetic benefits: physique to yield desired results | ​ |
20 Nov 2024 Jim Engel interview with House Of Bouvs.
Comments