Accueil HISTORY OF LA BRISE Histoire de l'Elevage La Brise Patricia with Paul Strang, 1980 on "Brandy" and "Mally" Excerpted from "The New Complete Great Pyrenees" by Paul Strang In Ohio, La Brise is the affix of Mr. And Mrs. Joseph Princehouse, their daughter Patricia, and son, Steven, in Colorado. Their involvement in Pyrs began in the early seventies when eight-year-old Patricia announced that she wanted a dog as big as a horse. They started with a foundation of Soleil and Balibasque. The children's involvement in 4-H sheep projects resulted in a small flock of thirty head of Suffolk, which allowed the Pyrs to prove they could still fulfill the task for which they were originally bred. Patricia, age 14, and her first show dog "Joker" winning Best of Breed over specials at the last Chagrin Valley Kennel Club show under judge Thelma von Thaden. The following year, Joker and Patricia also won the Ohio State Fair 4-H championship in both dog obedience and junior showmanship, and Winners Dog at Madison Square Garden in NYC at the Westminster Kennel Club show A high school summer abroad program took Patricia to France for two months in 1979. Arriving just in time for the Paris championship show, she immediately fell for the lovely expressions and effortless side gaits of the French Pyrs. She joined the Great Pyrenees Club of France (R.A.C.P.) and returned to the States with Patoune du Grand Baou, daughter of the famous Int/Fr/Lux/Bel Ch. Jason du grand Baou. A succession of some ten French imports followed including Ch. Samy du Domaine de Nardesca, who finished his American championship at the age of ten months, and Can Ch. Uxem du Grand Baou (co-owned with Gerald Scott, British Columbia), who sired the 1986 Canadian National Specialty Winners Dog, Can Ch. Benjamin Bravo, owned by Sharon Armstrong (British Columbia). Patricia has made five extended trips to France. In 1983 she took Clowne de La Brise to France and took RWB at the French Specialty in Lacommande in the High Pyrenees. Clowne obligingly came into heat while in France and was bred to a French champion. 1983 also saw the purchase of the Princehouses' first Pyrenean Shepherd, Ch. Urrugne de l'Estaube ("Blythe"), which went on to win the National Specialty twice in a row. Patricia has served four terms as president of the Pyrenean Shepherd Club of America. Breeding at La Brise aims for four things: excellent temperament, correct head and expression, large size and correct conformation and movement. Patricia writes: "We breed for type. Correct type encompasses all aspects of the dog, including temperament and working ability. An extremely typey dog is necessarily sound. A sound dog is not necessarily typey." Ms. Princehouse is an honorary lifetime member of the Great Pyrenees Club of France (R.A.C.P.), promoting exchanges of judges and translating information. Contact us for more information: labrise@msn.com
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