Maria meets Kivu from the Congo

Maria was having a walk in a cemetery near her home. This is where she chases squirrels. She would surely catch hem if she was ever off the leash. As it is, she stalks them, moving very slowly and cautiously and getting quite close. When the squirrel moves she will jerk the leash, with remarkable force. Once when she was off the leash she ran flat out at a tree that a squirrel was scrambling up. It had a narrow escape, as her snout reached a height of 7ft just beside the trunk.

In the cemetery, two women were watching Maria with great interest and discussing her. One of them was an Italian aid worker, who had been working in the Congo. There she had rescued Kivu and eventually brought her to London. She had no idea that Kivu is a Pondenco Medio - until she saw Maria. She looks very similar even down to the pale fur behind her front legs, which we call apron strings, that most Podengos have. But she has a black nose instead of Maria`s pink one.

Like so many rescue dogs, Kivu has problems. These are manifested in a dislike of other dogs. Maria also sometimes dislikes other dogs which approach her too closely. So we are planning to take them for walks together in the hope that two Podengos may become friends and that Maria will help Kivu to overcome her fears of other dogs.

Maria has just met Bella, a Podengo Medio who has just arrived in London from Malaysia.  We were walking in Holland Park, the former home of Charles James Fox MP, a Whig who supported the American revolutionaries in the time of George III, to the extent of wearing the volunteer`s uniform in the House of Commons.

We saw what we took to be Maria standing and sniffing in typical Podengo style in the middle of a fenced area which is used to play football (soccer) by children.  As dogs are banned from this area, we rushed up to put her on the leash.

Then we met Carmen, her Spanish-German owner, who rescued her some years ago with two broken legs. She is now fully recovered and Carmen was delighted to discover that she is a Podengo, or perhaps Podenco. She and Maria clearly recognized one another and were quite friendly, albeit with the normal aloofness of a Podengo on meeting a new dog.

It is really amazing how these dogs have traveled and survived in harsh and hostile environments.  From what I have seen in the Cape Verdes, mixed litters sometimes produce cross-breeds - in this case with Labradors.  But there is usually at least one pure Podengo. This is the puppy that is most likely to survive in the hostile environment into which they are born. A superlative ability to find whatever food exists, and to look cute to tourists, seem to be the main reasons.