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Niki, we believe is a natural cross between a Labrador and a Podengo Medio. She weighs only 13kg (30 lbs) and so is much too light and slim to be a Labrador female. She has both the speed with agility and hunting instinct of the Podengo Medio. But she looks like a Labrador puppy.
For a Labrador her head is a little narrow as are her paws, although they are webbed. Her tail is also curly with a white tip and is more bushy than a Labrador`s.
Labradors arrived in the Cape Verde islands, where she was born, in 1905. They were presumably brought by Portuguese fishermen from the Grand Banks who had collected them in St John`s, Newfoundland. They came to the island of Sal to collect salt for their bacalhau or salt cod, still a staple dish in Portugal. Podengo Medios and Pequenos would have arrived much earlier. They were brought on Portguese trading schooners, where their hunting ability was put to good use in keeping down rats.
As in Portugal until Salazar put a stop to it, dogs -even those that have owners- roam freely on the beaches and in the streets. Mating is thus random rather than organized to achieve breed standards. The available gene pool, until recently was very restricted - essentially to Portuguese dog breeds. Despite repeated neutering campaigns, the birth rate remains high but most puppies do not survive, for long. But the dogs that do make it - rarely more than one per litter - have remarkable tenacity and hunting instinct. Niki would chase seagulls tirelessly for hours.
The Avatar is of Niki`s inseparable sister who we believe had been named Negra. For english-speaking sensibilities we changed this to Jet, after the black stone found in north-east England. Both are now living happily in Nuremberg, Germany.
For a Labrador her head is a little narrow as are her paws, although they are webbed. Her tail is also curly with a white tip and is more bushy than a Labrador`s.
Labradors arrived in the Cape Verde islands, where she was born, in 1905. They were presumably brought by Portuguese fishermen from the Grand Banks who had collected them in St John`s, Newfoundland. They came to the island of Sal to collect salt for their bacalhau or salt cod, still a staple dish in Portugal. Podengo Medios and Pequenos would have arrived much earlier. They were brought on Portguese trading schooners, where their hunting ability was put to good use in keeping down rats.
As in Portugal until Salazar put a stop to it, dogs -even those that have owners- roam freely on the beaches and in the streets. Mating is thus random rather than organized to achieve breed standards. The available gene pool, until recently was very restricted - essentially to Portuguese dog breeds. Despite repeated neutering campaigns, the birth rate remains high but most puppies do not survive, for long. But the dogs that do make it - rarely more than one per litter - have remarkable tenacity and hunting instinct. Niki would chase seagulls tirelessly for hours.
The Avatar is of Niki`s inseparable sister who we believe had been named Negra. For english-speaking sensibilities we changed this to Jet, after the black stone found in north-east England. Both are now living happily in Nuremberg, Germany.
