Anecdotes

* Stabyhoun translates from the Dutch (sta-me-bij-hond) as "Stand-By-Me-Dog" and is pronounced: Stah BAY hoon.

* The Stabyhoun (also spelled Stabijhoun) is also called a "Friese Stabij," or Friesian Pointer.

* The Stabyhoun are keen and active dogs outside, but very calm inside the house, as long as they get a moderate amount of exercise daily.

* The Stabyhoun is considered to be an "all-around" dog, with abilities in hunting, retrieving, and pointing. They also are ideal family dogs because of their size, affectionate character, love for children and tolerance towards other animals. Most Stabyhoun love water and are excellent swimmers.

* The Stabyhoun that we know today, shows definite similarities to dogs that were depicted in paintings from the 17th Century; for example those by the well known Dutch artist Jan Steen.

Anecdotes

Below is a wonderful story written by Wessel Sikkema, a breeder in the Netherlands. This is an insight into some of the true traits of the Stabyhoun and why they are so loved. To maintain the character, we have left the story in his own words.

What’s my dog

About 50 years ago I met the Stabyhoun. As a little child I played with Bijke. That was the dog of my great-grandfather. He also was named Wessel, but he passed away a few years before. At that time I visited my great-grandmother, together with my mother. My mother was named after her and she has been the housekeeper for several years in her young ages. In the village of Zwaagwesteinde there were many Bijke’s. The name was used as short for Stabij and was very much used. In that region of the province of Friesland, the Stabyhoun was created. You should know the people in this region were very poor, because of the poor soil. Many were farmers with one cow, 2 pigs, a few chicken and rabbits and some goats. Those animals weren’t pets, but should be useful for a meal. Some people were traders in home made baskets and bristles. They walk to the big city’s if they couldn’t effort a bike to sell there products. It wasn’t the region where the famous dairy cattle and beautiful black horses came from.

My great-grandfather, who was also fisher in a rowing boat, caught everything he could get, moles, so called harmful animals like weasel, ermine and polecats, even cats (in second world war for food). He was always active with his Stabij. My mother told me that every dog he had was called Bijke. There are many story’s of a Bijke of Wessel. Bijke found the way back home over long distances when he was left there for the weekend on that location. He escaped many times out of a barn or doghouse. He bit through his leach, because he was very much bonded to his boss. One Bijke was missing. After searching for over a night they found him in an pipe underneath a road for drainage by his noise. They could not pull him out so they dug up the pipe and with the dog there was also a dead polecat. The dog was bitten in the nose and heavily injured.

Hunt dawn moles with dogs was forbidden in 1927. With traps was more humane. Later there was poison used. Only with a license you were able to be active. Many people went on illegally. Hunting polecats was forbidden in 1954. A few people went on. So my grandfather Tjipke, some of my uncle’s did. It was their culture, the way of life, their hobby and sport. We should call it poaching nowadays. A cousin was active until his dead last year. In the last years it was not much fun, he told me. There is no place for the original work of the Stabij in the modern times. It seems to be existing animal protectors everywhere.

One of my former dogs caught a duck. After his pointing pose I gave the command to catch and after a minute she came to me with the duck which could not fly for changing her feathers. The duck wasn’t injured and I let her go. But there was a lady, she saw the activity and spook some angry words. The same dog caught a tame rabbit out of a hutch. It was in middle of the night and I went by an old farm. I didn’t see it happen, but she proudly presented her pray. That dog had many hunting instincts. She was the real poacher. This Arja would have made a lot of money in the great-grandfather’s era.

Nowadays I learn my dogs to behave so they get used to other animals. They do not catch food, they know their two meals a day at home. My dogs don’t learn tricks, the learn to do not what is not allowed in later days. They should behave in many situations and many people. By a natural way they like people. This is also a part of the history, while they were always kept in the house. A family dog as described now, is a part of the history.

The breed is rather young. The Stabyhoun is officially recognized by the Dutch Kennelclub in 1942. The first litter is registered in 1943. Our Stabijclub was established in 1947. It began with 16 ancestors. In the present population there is still blood of 12 of them, although it is not equally divided. Long time it was a rare breed in The Netherlands. Even now there are many people who have never heard of or haven’t seen any Stabij. Pedigreed Stabij’s exists here in an amount of 3000-3500. I think there are 50.000 Labrodors and 40.000 German Shepard’s. In Sweden there are some hundred.

They discovered the Stabij is an excellent dog for working on a trail of a wounded mouse or elk. Injured by traffic man have to search for the animal. I did a workshop once and worked out a man made trail with a dead hare. With almost great ease and no training before, a Stabij finds the goal. Other activities can be done. Agility, fly ball, doggy dance, frisbee throw, you name it and there are Stabij’s active. It is not so that they all like everything. Some like fly ball, the just fast running, other one’s like more challenged traditional hunting activities. The most of are rather easy to train. And there are some more lazy one’s. Just sit or lay with one of the family members and they are happy. They all are quiet in the house and very active outdoors. What all Stabij’s have in common is following their nose in the woods or fields even in the water they still searching for interesting smells.

THE END

Dogs also had to be useful. If people had lack of food, why feeding a dog. Carts were drawn by dogs, horses were to expensive, and dogs were also used in hunting. In the poor area there were no hunters with a rifle and there was not big game available. Together with their Stabij, many people caught moles. Selling their skins added there low income. The skins were used for warm winter hats and lining material for coats. Catching a polecat gave almost a week income. Very specialised man with skilful dogs roamed over fast areas and travelled several hundreds of kilometres by bike with the dog on the back in an open case. Moles are pointed by the dog and his boss shovels them out of the ground and the dog makes the quick kill. The Stabij also can do the digging themselves, but lasted a bit longer and gave big holes. Most farmer don’t like that.