History
This kind of dog was first seen on the walls of Van Eyck’s portraits of the Arnolfini’s marriage and these fine, muzzle-faced and rough-coated dogs were originally bred to chase away rodents from stables. In early 1800, these dogs began to grow in fame and gradually left the rodent-ridden stalls to royalty.
During the middle of 1800, it was believed that the pug, the Brabancon (old Belgian dog) English toy spaniel, and Yorkshire terrier were crossed to produce the present-day Brussels griffon, taking the name of its hometown.
Around 1870, luck shone its way and the Belgian queen, Queen Henrietta Marie couldn’t get enough of the dog and from there, griffs became a welcome and most adored pet in the Belgian court and the royals went further to refine its rugby appearance to something more appealing and lovable.
The breed later made its royal entry into the U.S and got registered on the American Kennel Club in 1910 and almost became endangered but for the collective zeal of Britain and American to preserve its existence. And in 1997, Brussels Griffon landed a breakthrough with its featuring in the screen fantasy “as good as it gets.”