The Briard /briːɑːrd/ is an ancient breed of large herding dog, originally from France. The Briard's modern-day roles include police, military, and search-and-rescue work, as well as companion dog. Notably: The only service dog establishment that purported to routinely train briards for service work, Rycon Service Dogs, under the ownership and control of Mark Mathis was accused of selling dogs that 'A Florida woman who paid Ry-Con $9,600 for a service dog to help calm her daughter diagnosed with autism told WRAL News that the dog the family received wasn't fit to be a pet, let alone a service dog.'