Kromfohrlander

The Kromfohrlander’s history is somewhat muddied and two different theories have emerged. It is known that he is a relatively new breed, created sometime during the 1940s. One theory claims that troops from the United States after World War II found a scruffy dog that may have been a cross between a Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen and Fox Terrier. The U.S. troops found him in northern France and named him Peter. While traveling through Germany, Peter became separated from the U.S. troops. Peter was then rescued by Frau Ilse Schleifenbaum. Frau Schleifenbaum adopted Peter and bred him to her Fox Terrier named Fifi. That breeding produced two puppies named Shaggy and Witch. These puppies had a strong resemblance to Peter and also seemed to have his temperament. Frau Schleifenbaum liked the puppies so much that she repeated the breeding and began calling the offspring krom fohr which means crooked furrow after the landscape of her home. The second theory includes the same people and dogs but instead of Peter becoming lost, he was given to Frau Schleifenbaum by the U.S. troops. Her female dog, Fifi, was also described as a Griffon Fauve de Bretagne. Together, Peter and Fifi produced five litters and all the puppies strongly resembled Peter. Frau Schleifenbaum called the puppies produced krom fohr. The Kromfohrlander was officially recognized in 1955 by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. It was not until 1997 that the first Kromfohrlander was imported into the United States. This dog was a male named Button von der Britzer Muhle. Then in 1999, a female named Finca vom Kahlharz was imported into the United States. The United Kennel Club recognized the Kromi in 1996 but the American Kennel Club did not begin registering him as part of their Foundation Stock Service until 2012. There are less than 40 Kromfohrlanders registered by the AKC.