Briards Past and Present: Conversations with Leading Breeders Paperback

Ellen J. Myers established Briards of the Coastline. The idea was to share her passion and enthusiasm for the typically French Briard, which Ellen felt deserved better representation on our side of the Atlantic. For the past twenty years, Ellen has made regular trips to visit the Briard in its native land, studying the complex diversity of pedigrees and bloodlines that are found only in France, and selecting dogs from some of the top breeders in the chien de Brie milieu.

The author felt it worthwhile to create a record of some long established, and successful breeders, attempting to capture in their own words, their concerns and views when breeding. There are interviews from the breed country of origin, France, vibrant with hundreds of years of history, breed development, and continual pedigrees. Rich with experience and knowledge, France remains an undisputed resource, their experts respected worldwide. A few interviews are with people who are French in origin but moved to the USA and continued their involvement. The balance is with breeders from the authors home country, the USA. She acknowledges other countries with excellent breeders. She regrets she could not include all the existing talent. This book, the author hopes will be "a means to leave messages to future breeders, to communicate through time and space, some valuable points" This book is meant to contribute to the large task of breeding this fine, complex old breed of working sheep dog. "No honest breeder will ever tell you that the pup you buy from him is a sure winner. Neither will he promise you an easy road to success. All he can ever give you is the chance to learn and the admonition that having perseverence, perspective and purpose, will give you a fifty-fifty chance" USA breeder, Harold Marley, highly respected influential breeder of Marha Briards, from 1964- died 1976