Apprenticed to Voituron and Ommeganck, Verboeckhoven established himself in the forefront of animal painting. He was particularly interested in domestic and farm animals. His paintings of grazing sheep and cows attracted a large following of both patrons and immitators. Our painting of a King Charles Spaniel is fairly unusual for Verboeckhoven whose output of dog and cat pictures was limited.

He exhibited at numberous salons since his first exhibitions in Ghent in 1820 and consequently became a member of numberous academies.