Perhaps a descendent of the Tibetan mastiff, the Great Pyrenees may have arrived in Europe with either the Aryans of Central Asia or with Phoenician sea traders, who settled in the Pyrenees of Spain and other European mountain valleys. Believed to be used to guard flocks of sheep in early times, the Great Pyrenees also served as a fortress guard in medieval France, and groups of these dogs were kept by the owners of large chateaus. It was in the late 1600s that the nobility of France became enamored of this breed. During the reign of Louis XIV, the Great Pyrenees was in great demand: to the point that the leader decreed it to be the “Royal Dog of France” in 1675. It was around this time that the Great Pyrenees appeared in Newfoundland and may have had a part in the development of the Newfoundland breed. Documentation suggests that the first Great Pyrenees in America arrived with General Lafayette in 1824...... Find out more about this dog breed.
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