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Podengo Central

A place for Podengo owners and fanciers to share information and research the breed in a topical manner. Supported by the APPMGC & APPPC


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    Trying to determine if my stray is a Podengo

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    tcwellner


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    Join date : 2016-12-26

    Trying to determine if my stray is a Podengo Empty Trying to determine if my stray is a Podengo

    Post  tcwellner Mon Dec 26, 2016 11:58 am

    A year ago a stray, blond, wirehair, 20 pound dog appeared at my rural GA home. Looking on-line, she appears to be a Podengo - and no other breed does - but her size is off. Over the past year, her behavior has been exactly like descriptions of a Podengo. But how such a rare breed, even if not pure bred, could be a stray in rural GA puzzles me greatly. I've tried to attach photos, but I'm not sure if it worked. I would appreciate your verdict. Thank you.
    Admin
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    Post  Admin Mon Dec 26, 2016 12:12 pm

    There have been others Podengo Medio or Medio mixes that have turned up in that area. However since the Podengo is a primative dog type....eventually random breeding animals look primative, which is like Podengo or other feral dogs like, Mexican Street dogs. Where there is a population of Portuguese or hunters it certainly is possible. If you would like to sent me a couple pictures to my email. I can give you a better guess. Dmcarty100@gmail.com
    james ensor
    james ensor


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    Post  james ensor Tue Dec 27, 2016 12:14 pm

    Well 20lb is a typical weight for a small Podengo Medio.  One of the distinctive marks, which is not obvious from photos is a pink nose. Another very distinctive sign is the curly tail mostly carried erect like a Scorpion with the tip often showing a different color from the rest of the dog. The best judgement though would be behavior. Podengos emanating from Portugal are amongst the most vociferous hunters that you will ever meet. They will utter a harsh and high-pitched yelp at the sight, smell or sound of any small furry animal with four legs.

    Most Podengos must originally have entered the US through Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where there are still big concentrations of people who speak Portuguese, some of them originating from the mainland and some from the islands, such as the Azores. In these original locales many Podengos, even if they have an owner, roam freely and appear to be strays.  Their innate ability to scent out food gives them an unique ability to survive in the open, especially in an area with a temperate winter climate like Georgia.

    The most common color for a Podengo Medio is fawn, often with white socks and a white tip to the tail. Blond podengos are rare as are black, which you can see in the avatar.  Although breeders like Admin may not approve, such colors do emerge from the random breeding of dogs that live outside on farms, with passing males. Could that happen in rural Georgia?  In less wealthy and organized countries such dogs often appear as puppies about six months old, when they are no longer being fed as the mother`s milk has dried up. This would certainly occur in Mexico with the similar Podenco.

    The easiest way to load a photo is to load it onto another website and then write in the link through the editing process here.

    I am sure that whatever she is, she will be overjoyed to have found a good home.
    Admin
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    Post  Admin Tue Dec 27, 2016 1:16 pm

    The 'blond' color is actually fawn. The first Podengo wire PACK came to the US in the late 1800s. The grandson of the person who brought them in had a couple and lived in FL. Wherever there is a concentration of Portuguese you will find Podengos of a sort as they would get them from family members in portugal. Most that end up in a rescue setting are because: they didn't hunt: ran off and didn't come back and no one looks for them: they gave one to someone and they were unable to deal with the activity level.
    james ensor
    james ensor


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    Post  james ensor Tue Dec 27, 2016 1:41 pm

    Thank you for the correction. That is certainly how Podengos today arrive in rescue centers in Portugal and the islands. But in the less smart communities no attempt is even made to feed and thus keep the puppies.
    Admin
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    Post  Admin Tue Dec 27, 2016 2:06 pm

    We have made much improvement in getting hunters to surrender to shelters instead of dump...but more work needed.
    james ensor
    james ensor


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    Post  james ensor Wed Dec 28, 2016 3:12 pm

    DMCarty - your comments on Mexican street dogs are interesting. Sadly I have only been to Tijuana, hardly representative. But I guess that the Spanish took Podencos to Mexico for the same reason that the Portuguese took Podengos to Brazil. I guess that the Spanish also took Podencos to Florida and Texas before they joined the USA.Vasco da Gama and Magellan roamed the seas well before Columbus and Cook so the spread of Podengos was wide, and early, at least along the coasts.

    You can find similar DNA in the New Guinea singing dog and in the Dingo, which was brought from India by people who merged with the Aborigines. The ability of the Podengo to survive harsh circumstances and its apparently high breeding rate - at least in the tropics - has meant that its DNA is deeply implanted in street dog populations around the world. With Darwin`s survival of the fittest, the Podengo`s life skills would have ensured that it out-survived all more developed breeds.

    In the still primitive islands of Cape Verde recognizable Podengo Medios make up a tenth of the dog population and Pequenos a twentieth. Another tenth are Labradengos with Labrador bodies but Podengo characteristics. Many of the others resemble Medios but with Labrador ears. Dogs of other breeds such as Dalmatians abandoned by vile sailors do not survive long in the competition for food and water. Killer dogs, such as German shepherds, Cane Corso and American pitbulls imported by Europeans, simply never get to breed. So the population remains primitive here and throughout most of Africa and Latin America.


    Last edited by james ensor on Thu Dec 29, 2016 3:24 am; edited 2 times in total
    Admin
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    Post  Admin Wed Dec 28, 2016 3:30 pm

    The ratters on the ships were pequenos. What I was trying to say is that eventually if left to Breed randomly any breeds would take on primitive dog characteristics of pointy ears pointy nose and yellowish coat.
    james ensor
    james ensor


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    Post  james ensor Sun Nov 03, 2019 5:37 am

    There is a growing traffic in Podengos and Podencos from Portugal and still more from Spain to the UK and some other north European countries.  We have just  met one at the local vet in London.   Obviously a Podengo Medio, the male aged about 12 had been obtained from the biggest London dog shelter, several years ago.

    The owner had no idea that her dog was a podengo and apparently not much interest.  I would not be surprised to learn that there is a similar traffic from Mexico and other former Spanish colonies into the US and Canada. We have met three in England brought by sailboat from the Dominican Republic. It seems that these dogs sometimes end up in rescue homes, when the original foster owners realize some of the complexities of caring for a hunting dog.

    Their ability to survive in the wild, in temperate climes, gives them a far better chance than many more developed breeds, should they stray or be ejected.  Their considerable cuteness and liking for people, no matter how harshly they have been treated before rescue, ensure that many dog lovers want to adopt them.

    When we took Maria with us to visit another London dog shelter, we had half a dozen approaches from those eager to give her a new home.

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