Xander and Boerboel

Xander, the boy, just caught my attention with his absolute facial expression and body language full of love for this pup. I never knew this Boerboel pup (Rachel) had such an intense story when I started to paint them.  Just after Mommy started giving birth to her pups in a warm and cosy room, Killian Boerboels’, Nico, the breeder, found a lifeless pup outside in the dark and very cold night.

He tried everything to help the tiny little body. With a broken heart he gently places the little body in a black bag and in the kitchen bin. Later that evening he heard this faint, whistling noise coming from the bin. He quickly took the little body out, still no movement but breathing.

Winning this South African Boerboel competition made it much more special. People in America wanted to buy Rachel, but she remained in South Africa.  Rachel was renamed, Nala and is a very healthy pup.

(Racheltjie de Beer is a heroic, Afrikaans, South African, history story).