Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Reuters, Library of Congress and Wikimedia Commons
The Belgian laekenois (pronounced lak-in-wah), originated in the town of Laeken, the seat of the Belgian monarchy. It is the “rarest of the four Belgian herding breeds,” which include the Belgian malinois, Belgian tervuren, and the Belgian sheepdog, according to the American Kennel Club, which calls the laekenois a “survivor.”
“The Laeken was deployed as a messenger dog in both World Wars and was the target of a bounty by Hitler in the latter, resulting in a sizable drop in its numbers,” the AKC says in an online explainer about the hardy, wire-coated canine.
While wary of strangers, the laekenois “is affectionate and friendly with those he knows well,” states the AKC. The same cannot be said of the small American community of laekenois enthusiasts.