Keeshond Dogs & Puppies

The Keeshond (plural: Keeshonden) is one of the family of spitz dogs, although its exact origin is undocumented. The breed seems to have been well established in Holland at least since the eighteenth century as a companion and watchdog. The breed later became known as the barge dog because dogs were often kept as a watchdog on the small vessels navigating the Rhine River. By a stroke of fate, the breed became entangled in the political events of Holland in the years preceding the French Revolution. The leader of the Patriot faction was a man named Kees de Gyselaer, who in turn owned a barge dog named Kees. The dog Kees appeared in so many political cartoons that he and his breed—a dog of the people—became the symbol of the Patriots. Unfortunately for the Keeshond, the Patriots did not prevail, and many Keeshond owners disposed of their dogs lest they be identified with the losing party. To make things worse for the Keeshond, the barges that floated the Rhine became larger, and the small Keeshond became less favored as a barge dog. Nonetheless, the breed did survive, although with a low profile, through the efforts of a few loyal river boatmen and farmers. In 1920, the Baroness van Hardenbroek began an effort to rescue the surviving members. She was so successful at winning friends for the breed that the Keeshond was in England by 1925. AKC recognition soon followed in 1930. So much did the Keeshond recover, the breed is now the national dog of Holland.