Keeshond

History/Origin
The Keeshond first appeared as a symbol of rebellion in 18th century Holland. The breed was named after Cornelis (Kees) de Gyselaer, who led the Dutch revolt in their war opposing the House of Orange rule. Later, it became guard dog to the Dutch barges. Then in 1920, Baroness van Hardenbroeck got interested in the Keeshond and started making more breeds. Eventually, the Keeshond became a renowned watch dog in numerous manors in Middle Europe.

Description
Keeshond is a breed known to be color-specific. This means that in many cases, it often carries the distinctive hues of its own. Unfortunately, these colors are also often associated with wolves.
Still, the actual color of a typical Keeshond may be considered more a happy mix of cream, gray, and black, with the colors ranging from either pale to extremely pale or dark to extremely dark.

The coat covering of Keeshond is often black in contrast to the undercoat which can be colored either cream, white, or pale gray. However, the coat covering its legs, more appropriately called trousers, is distinctly colored lighter gray.
The Keeshond also has short eyebrows accompanied by a pair of expressive eyes. A delicate line covering the external corner of its eyes and extending up to the rear of both ears serves as a distinctive mark of this breed, which is commonly called 'spectacles'.

Temperament
The Keeshond always prefers being near its masters, even children, whenever possible. This makes it an excellent dog around the house. It's not necessarily aggressive, especially toward visitors, despite it being a noisy barker. Generally, it will warm up to strangers once it sees the family accepting it.

A Keeshond loves to play, and the breed loves to do a lot of jumping owing to its strong hind legs and innate quick reflexes. It can be quite stubborn though, but will always want to please and can learn quickly when taught. That is why it has successfully been trained to be a guide dog.

Acting the role of a comfort dog is perfect for the Keeshond because it is an emphatic and intuitive breed. A proof of this act is witnessed by many victims in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack (at the collapse of World Trade Center) when one Keeshond was known to have been at work in the site, bringing comfort both to victims and rescuing other workers.