Podengo or Terrier?

Lucy is a one year old dog we adopted from the local humane society. We always thought she was a terrier mix, but another dog owner in our neighborhood thought she may be a podengo. What do you think?

I believe it's possible that she has podengo in her.

She certainly has many of the appearance features of a Podengo. The pointed ears, white socks, white-tipped curly tail and white waistcoat are Podengo features.  But the real test may be the speed, agility and intelligence which all Podengos developed in their native Portugal.

Only the Podengo Grande used like the English foxhound to hunt large, wild prey, was bred and kept in kennels. Smaller varieties lived semi-wild and interbred freely, with whatever other dogs were around. In Portugal, they still do. That is why there are so many sizes and hair styles in Podengos.

The Kennel Club in England and the US equivalent have recently tried to establish rigid breed standards.  However, in my view, the interbreeding that occurs when a breed is adopted often leads to degradation in hardiness and intelligence.

So for me she is in the Podengo tradition of being a little mixed.