15 anos
Ponta da Pinta!
Ponta da Pinta
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It was on August the 22nd, 2002 that the first Ponta da Pinta litter was born. Those were the first steps to fulfill my dream of contributing to preserve and improve the Estrela Mountain Dog, not only by succeeding at dog shows but mostly by helping to preserve both varieties, the genetic diversity, the colour diversity and the traits that always made the breed totally fit for a livestock guardian dog. Twenty years on, I am as engaged as back then, because there's still a lot of work to be done - but there are also many reasons for celebrating:
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as of 2002, systematic screening of hip dysplasia (HD) and elbow dysplasia ( ED) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) to all my breeding stock (pioneering systematic testing of DCM in the breed), interpreting the results through a genetic perspective and incorporating that data in the mating planning. Twenty years on, there are currently no known cases of DCM nor ED cases in dogs bred by me; most have normal or almost normal hips and those with severe dysplasia are very rare (and functional).
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participating in academic research, by Professors Mário Ginja (Hip dysplasia in the Estrela Mountain Dog, 2003-2008), Luís Lima Lobo (Dilated Cardiomyopathy in the Estrela Mountain Dog, 2004-2009) and Ana Santana (hip joint laxity screening in dogs, 2014-2020).
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participating, with my dogs, in Reproduction classes by Professor Paulo Borges at Universidade Lusófona, Lisbon.
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my dogs are donors for the Portuguese Animal Blood Bank since 2020.
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my dogs are valued in the Portuguese Kennel Club's Breeding Valuation Program.
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breeding new lineages of the thelong hair variety, using short-haired Estrelas.
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cooperating with the Grupo Lobo association's Cattle Dogs program.
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cooperating with shepherds/livestock breeders and with other Estrela breeders.
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supporting the foundation and development of several Estrela breeding projects in Portugal and abroad.
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about 40 national, international and world conformation titles.
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several American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen titles.
