Because of Winn-Dixie
In early 2002, producers atUniversal Stu-
dios were beginning work on a movie called
Because of Winn-Dixie
.
For the dog that is
the lead character, they needed a breed not
readily recognizable to American audiences
as a known purebred dog, but wanted the
consistency of a purebred so that they could
use multiple individual dogs interchange-
ably – and they chose this rare breed. At that
time there were no Berger Picard breeders in
the US, so the production team contacted
breeders in Bordeaux, France. Several pup-
pies and adult dogs were imported for the
movie and continue to work at Universal
Studios in California and Orlando. When
the movie was released in theaters in Feb-
ruary of 2005, the breed gained the atten-
tion of some of the general public who fell
in love with the dog they saw in the movie,
and many more Picards were imported to
the US. With the widespread use of the
internet and ability to easily make contacts
nationwide and worldwide, this time there
were enough people becoming involved
with the breed to establish nationwide
relationships, internet chat groups and
eventually a breed parent club.
The Berger Picard Club of
America
The Berger Picard Club of America
was born out of an internet chat group
of concerned owners. Although many of
them had discovered the breed through
the movie, they wanted to be certain the
Picard avoided the pitfalls faced by many
breeds made popular through movies. At
the time there were only a handful of peo-
ple in the country that were even think-
ing about breeding, and few had even
considered dog shows. Most of these new
Picard fanciers were novices in dogs with
no experience in showing or breeding. One
thing was certain though – they all loved
their Picards and wanted what was best for
the breed.
So, with a toast of Dom Pérignon,
the Berger Picard Club of America was
formed on a snowy December 9, 2006
around a kitchen table in a suburb of
St. Paul, Minnesota. Days later, on
December 14, the BPCA sent AKC a let-
ter requesting that the Berger Picard be
included in the AKC’s Foundation Stock
Service. At their April 2007 meeting,
the AKC Board voted to add the Berger
“
THE BPCA HAs ConTInuED To GRow AnD now HAs
ovER 125 mEmBERs fRom ovER 34 sTATEs.”
Picard and Swedish Lapphund to the
Foundation Stock Service.
Following the road map set forth by
the FSS department of AKC, the BPCA
has established a strong and effective breed
club. The BPCA has continued to grow
and now has over 125 members from over
34
states. Members have participated in
Meet the Breed events across the country,
held judge’s education seminars, and the
club has held matches in conjunction with
the Briard and Beauceron Clubs. Fanciers
have been busy training and showing their
dogs in many available venues, including
herding, agility, obedience, rally, tracking
and other activities.
In October 2011, the AKC Board
approved the Berger Picard Club of Amer-
ica as the official Parent Club of breed.
With input and approval from AKC, the
BPCA membership voted and approved
the standard for the Berger Picard in
December of 2011. With all the pieces in
place, the BPCA was able to request that
the breed be moved into the Miscellaneous
Group. We are so pleased that this ancient
breed will be the newest addition to AKC
shows, beginning in January 2013!
(
clockwise) A tapestry featuring a Berger Picard;
A Berger Picard, c. 1890; BPCA’s first large show; The first
Champion, Catherine.
S
how
S
ight
M
agazine
,
D
ecember
2012 • 95