The Boykin Spaniel.
THE TAX COLLECTOR’S PROTECTOR
Being a tax collector in Germany in the late 19th century was a hazardous line of work, particularly when it took you through bandit-infested regions. Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann decided he would be safer from attack and robbery if he had a dog by his side. His ideal canine protector would combine strength, loyalty, and intelligence with ferocity. What he needed, he thought, was a new breed, and he set about putting his idea into action around 1880. His plan was helped along by the fact that he ran the local dog pound, so had many types and breeds of dog to draw upon while developing his ideal protector; those thought to have contributed include the Beauceron, German Pinscher, Rottweiler, Weimaraner, German Shepherd, Greyhound, and Manchester Terrier. Following Dobermann’s death in 1894, the breed he had created was named after him in his honour.