Whoever lives with him every day says that he is the best in the world. It is from the Algarve, more specifically from the Barrocal, and is the most recent native Portuguese breed of dog: the Cão do Barrocal Algarvio. If, these days, this breed is in the mouths of the world, it was not always like this. About 30 years ago, there were about 30 flagged, furry, or diapered dogs, that is, Dogs from the Barrocal Algarvio. Now there are over 1500.
A little over a month ago, on February 4, the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Affairs received confirmation that the Dog of the Barrocal Algarvio is an indigenous Portuguese breed, the 11th. This is another chapter in the history of this dog that was close to extinction in the late 70s, but which, as a result of the work of the Barrocal Algarvio Dog Breeders Association, is in full recovery.
When the work of recovery and recognition of this breed began, about 16 years ago, «a survey of 30 dogs in the region was carried out. They stopped being created with the entry of new foreign races, from the 25th of April. Until then, here, there was no other race. There was this dog, Podengos, Alentejan mutts, but the main one was this one, until that time», explains José Afonso Correia, member of the association, to the Sul Informação.
Then, according to Rogério Teixeira, president of ACCBA, “we created, more or less, a theoretical structure of what could be the dog and its history. We published the characteristics of the dog that was the basis for our work».
This information was published on an Internet site, but the possibility of a new breed of dog from the Algarve was not well received. “When we started to identify these dogs as a breed, people reacted a bit negatively because they wondered that no one had ever seen this, that there was a different dog here”.
Before, “people said that these dogs were powerful, that we had invented a breed, but no. This dog was already here, because when I was offered the first couple of dogs, I was 18 years old. I'm 62 now. 44 years ago. Whoever gave me these dogs told me they were a breed that already belonged to the grandfather. I started to see that it was already a very old dog. I started talking to Rogério and told him that the DNA test could be done, because it would be different from everything else», remembers José Afonso.
And the suspicions were confirmed four years ago, after a study carried out by the University of Lisbon, which confirmed that the Cão do Barrocal Algarvio had a differentiated DNA structure.
Also different were the names by which this dog was known in the Barrocal of the Algarve. «Before we adopted the name Cão do Barrocal Algarvio, it had several names. It could be called abandeirado, because of the “flag” it has on its tail, diapered because there are those “diapers” on the back legs… You only had to walk about 10 or 15 kilometers and the name would change. Each one called what they thought was funniest», remembers José Afonso Correia.
Also, the uses given to “ababandeirado”, “fluffy”, or “nappy” were varied. “Actually, it's a hunting dog. It is a very energetic dog, with a resistance very different from any other. Although not exactly a guard dog, it was also used for that. It is a dog that alerts you when there is someone near the house. Besides, it was a companion dog. The owners went to the land to gather their carobs, almonds… and the dog was always present there, accompanying them. He is a docile dog, he is a very sweet dog. It's a spectacular dog!», considers José Afonso Correia.
José Afonso Correia's enthusiasm in relation to the Algarvio Barrocal Dog led him to get rid of practically all the imported breeds he had and began taking him to hunting and distributing dogs, since he will have already bred. and distributed, more than a thousand.
The oblivion to which the Cão do Barrocal Algarvio was subjected seems, for now, to be outdated, because everyone talks about it.
«There has been a lot of demand, but so far, no dog has been sold. The concern was to increase the breed. But from now on, maybe, a horizon opens that will make sales possible. But that was never a goal. While we did all this, we never had any monetary support from any entity, because it doesn't exist for dog farming. Being the cultural heritage of a region, it is not understandable», regrets Rogério Teixeira.
«For twelve years we have been “putting our mouths on the trombone” in relation to the dog, but only those who saw the dog hunting were interested. Now, it has become generalized», concludes Rogério Teixeira.
The Algarve now has, officially, what José Afonso Correia considers, without a doubt, «the best dog in the world to hunt».
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