Briard

The Briard /briːɑrd/ is an ancient breed of large herding dog, originally from France. A Briard-type dog appears in Gaston Febus' Livre de chasse ("Book of the Hunt"), written in the 14th century. According to legend, about the same time, a Briard fought a judicial duel withRobert Macaire to avenge its owner's murder, Aubry of Montdidier. Charlemagne, Napoleon, Thomas Jefferson, and Lafayette are all said to have owned Briards. It became popular after the Paris dog show of 1863, after the breed had been fixed, with crosses with theBeauceron and the Barbet. During the First World War, the Briard was used, almost to the point of extinction, by the French army as a sentry, messenger, and to search for wounded soldiers. The Briard's modern-day roles include police, military and search-and-rescue work, as well as companion dog.

Weight	Male	30–40 kg (66–88 lb)
	Female	25–35 kg (55–77 lb)
Height	Male	61–69 cm (24–27 in)
	Female	58–65 cm (23–26 in)
Coat	Long and slightly wavy.
Color	Uniform Black, Fawn or Grey
Life span	10-12 years

source : wikipedia