Description

The word ?Boerboel? derives from ?boer?, the?Afrikaans/Dutch word for ?farmer?. The English word ?bull? sounds to Dutch ears like ?boel?, hence, the name Boerboel. Boerboel, therefore, translates as either ?farmer?s dog? or ?Boer?s dog? and should be pronounced somewhat like ?burbull?. The Boerboel is the only South African dog breed created to?defend?the homestead.
Despite the Boerboel?s long breeding history, there is great uncertainty as to how many and which breeds were used to create it. It is generally believed that the breed was created from interbreeding?native?African?canine species with breeds brought into South Africa from?Dutch,?French, and?British?settlers.
The most likely origins are claimed to date back to?Jan van Riebeeck?s arrival to the Cape in 1652. Van Riebeeck brought a ?Bullenbijter? with him.Those with him, and later?European?settlers, also had large, strong dogs, that almost certainly bred with the indigenous, domestic dog breeds of South Africa.