The introductory paragraph:
In the early evening, I'm walking along a trail with my Bouvier des Flandres, Griffin. He is ahead, moving smoothly and quickly with his habitual mile-eating trot. The trail curves, and briefly he disappears from sight. Suddenly I hear a high-pitched shriek. A jogger appears around the corner, clutching his chest melodramatically. "Oh, my god!" he gasps, "I thought it was a bear!" Griffin, unperturbed by the man's reaction, waits calmly while the man recovers his dignity, but positions himself solidly between the two of us.
People frequently have this "Bear!" reaction to Bouviers and it never ceases to amuse me. How many bears have you seen trotting purposefully along on well-peopled trails? It is true that Bouviers have a distinctive, rolling, bear-like gait. It is also true that Bouviers, like bears, tend to carry their heads low to the ground, and they are also shaggy, and black, and large. But they aren't that large.
The link to the article is: http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/breeds/bouvier-des-flandres
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