The Valentine Archives | Magazines & Periodicals

Caes e Compania | Dogs & Co.

#31 yr III - december 1981 - part I: 

Dogs & Co. Year 3, #31, December 1981

I was always curious to know how Americans first got to know and love Fila Brasileiros. For Donna Valentine it was from "seeing them in a Dog World Mag and liking the look". 

(D.V.): I inquired about them from the breeders listed, which were Copeland Shavers and Sue Armstrong (Fazenda do Indomito kennel). I preferred Sue and went with her.  They both had dogs from Clelia [Kruel], Flint do Camping for Copeland and Febo do Camping for Sue.

We got into Fila in 1988.  We even had to get on a waiting list to get our first one!!  She wasn't good at all.. She said laughing.

At our first dog show in Kansas, we met Pearl and Frank DeRidder from NY.  They had Filas from Brazil and they invited us to a show back East.  We went and as Frank sold airplane parts and he was dealing with Francisco Peltier, in Brazil. 

That was also when Donna learned about the CAFIB.

(D.V.): Frank invited CAFIB to come to the states for the show and we attended and that is how it all started. I truly believed in the CAFIB theory and still do. 

Although from Donna's pragmatic point of view, people get in the way of that.

(D.V.): Hard to say what came to mind when we first saw the difference in the "fila" types.  Brenda had Dictator and you know what he looked like. She was at that first CAFIB show. Also, and they told her he was a mixed-bred and advised not to breed him. She, of course, declined on that!!  He didn't even attack on the TT. It was a sad thing to watch.  

Clelia [Kruel] was not supportive and she was very unfriendly. She was less than pleased. 

Clelia' s "interesting comments" about the event are found in the Valentine's Archives in their correspondence. We may publish something on this blog about them soon.

(D.V.): When my friend, Beth Cepil, and Micki Smith and I first came to Brasil in 1995, I absolutely loved it.  I love rustic and primitive. I just didn't know how difficult it was to live with primitive.  We visited SP,  so that was much different from where we are now. 

... 

on the Cover Ch. Gr. Ch. Ch. Bugre do Kirimaua

An end of the year issue that features an article about the Fila. Curiously, the other feature article is "We will show you how to make a profit by breeding!

The magazines are in near perfect condition and as an added Bonus they came with hand written commentary about the dogs by someone in CAFIB. I am waiting for a confirmation on who this person is, because neither Donna or Sue can recall. Hopefully, someone acquainted can recognize the handwriting and update us on it! Nonetheless, the notes are guidelines about type, conformation and are a commentary on the breeders as well. Also, unfortunately, some of the pictures were cut out. Most likely to illustrate important context written in the notes. The photos seen here are mostly posted in the order on the written notes as well as a few other pages having other fila interest.

(D.V.): The magazines were sent to Sue Armstrong by a man who was one of the first to get on the CAFIB bandwagon, but I have forgotten his name. Those magazines are from the 80's.

hand-written note - front

Transcribed from the Handwritten notes:

Caes e Compania no.31

1)- Cover dog   Shows a "stop" too strong, small ears, but not bad at all!

2)- PAGE 23     A typical bastard. He is nothing! A mix of mastiff and others. Even the skin is different

3)- PAGE 24/25  try to cut the ears of the black one. You'll see a "Mastino Napolitano" Can't you see the difference on the muzzles

4)- PAGE 26/27  Camuri do Embirema Fila x Mastiff x Mastino, unfortunately

5)- PAGE 27  Ch Kalu dos Pampas  Fila x Dog Alemao (Great Dane) x mastiff

6)- PAGE 28  Cacique and Orixa. I like them both. Orixa is the father of your Guaira.
7)- PAGE 30  All colors on puppies - a good male dog (Boiadeiro) and a Monster (Atus)

hand-written note - back

8)- PAGE 32  Again Camburi and the King of Bastards: Thor

On page 35

THE only pure filas are [marked] with 3 x['s]

Can you see howw the head type of Quizumba do Samor and the bitch from Embirema are the same ?

that is mixs [that is a mixed]

credits & presentation | page 6

In the credits as consultants for the magazine and for the Fila specifically are Eugenio H.P. de Lucena president of the CBKC and Vania Brien from the Clube Paulista do Fila Brasileiro. Very likely they will editorialize to favor their club's interests. So it is no surprise that their associates kennels and dogs will be featured as well as advertised in the magazine.

page 19 - Regulating Breeding

On page 19, there is a section edited by the Clube Paulista do Fila Brasileiro about a proposal to implement Breeding Regulations for the Fila Brasileiro. It suggests regulating a minimum age for males at 18 months and 16 months for females; an evaluation by a technical committee which would issue a  temporary Certificate of Approval (CAR) for reproduction, and which would be permanent after an approval of 2 liters by this same committee. [Sound familiar?]. It also would make reproduction announcements and liter verifications by a technical committee mandatory, as well as a mandatory tattoo I.D.. This was intended to be proposed to become official in 1982. I have no information as to whether this was implemented at all in CBKC breeding guidelines or rules.

page 22 & 23 (bottom right is cut out)

Fila Brasileiro - New Direction for a breed in evolution. According to this editorial, the breed had a very rapid and successful assention as the second most bred in the country. However, according to the article: Fila enthusiasts have a challenge to overcome: an ideal type. There wasn't consensus on the ideal Fila type. Nonetheless, they still acknowledged then, the functional Fila as a guardian. According to José Maia (Abaetá da Cachoeira kennel) the Fila Brasileiro would substitute the GSD.

The premise of this article is a grand paradox, taken into consideration that the Commission of the Improvement of the Fila Brasileiro (CAFIB) started out in 1976 by elaborating a system of analysis of phenotype and temperament (page 19 has a watered-down version of CAFIB'S program as a "proposal for 1982"). The outcome of such an effective system is clearly shown in CAFIB's breeding stock today. While the CBKC, even after having modified the breed standard 3 times over the years and completely eliminated the temperament tests, is still plagued with a variety of at least 5 different types.

year III, issue#31, Oct./Nov./Dec., 1981

Starkly juxtaposed to the CBKC..
The CAFIB released its Bulletin having on the cover Pedrinho do Engenho, Paulo Santos Cruz and Jose Gomes - A historical encounter in Varginha. It is quite obvious, having these 2 publications in hand, how the directions are diametrically opposed.

typical list of Approved dogs showing their
numbers and names

 









Issue #31, of Oct./Nov./Dec., of 1981 the end of year results of the Specialized Show are listed, as well as an editorial about the Grand book of the Fila Brasileiro.



A month prior to the CBKC leaning publication's year end feature about the Fila Brasileiro, the Cafib publishes their bulletin having the article What the analysis of phenotype are  for. With an Course on the Structure of the Fila Brasileiro.


As of Dec. 24th, 2012, all the O Fila [The Fila] bulletins became available on the Cafib BR site (http://www.cafibbrasil.com.br) for a fee. Issues #1 and #7 are available for free.

continues on blog post Caes e compania #31, Dec., 1981 part II

Caes e Compania | Dogs & Co. #31 yr III - december 1981 - part II

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
Christopher Hitchens

In search of a more homogeneous breeding stock, says the subtitle.. The article acknowledges that the breed is too heterogeneous and an ideal defined type has not been achieved. One of the factors they attribute this situation to is the origin of the breed, resulting from the crossing of breeds such as the Bulldog, the Bloodhound and the Mastiff in the farms of Minas Gerais. The Grand book of the Fila Brasileiro by Procopio do Vale, Enio Monte and 43 collaborators advertised in this same issue, promotes that same hypothesis for the origin of the breed, although the authors fail to produce evidence to substantiate the hypothesis. 
They also blame the Initial Registry accepted from 1946 until 1974. Claiming it brought in questionable breeding stock from farms and other sources outside of the control of the CBKC, although in 1981 the breed was already at a stage of evolution wherein breeders could work well known bloodlines from a few generations.
 The 3rd reason they attribute as contributing for a very heterogeneous breeding stock,  was the culture of dog breeding being used to "ready made" standards from foreign breeds, making it difficult for a proper and defined standard for a national breed. The breed standard in effect at the time of this publication was issued in 1976 and according to the article, was put together to define certain obscure aspects prior to the previous standard of 1954. There was unanimity among breeders in the recognition of some improvement in their breeding stock, however, the standard in place gave way to diverse interpretations a fact proven by at least 6 different types of fila which are accepted, they affirm.

pages 24 & 25 - Canil Belo Cruzeiro, SP (top left|Black coat), Canil da Cachoeira, RJ (center | brindle) Canil Curumau, RJ (top right | fawn)

 

This pie chart on page 25, shows the number of registered filas in Brazil (5.067 filas) in 1980, according to their total by state numbers. Rio de Janeiro holding the 38,1% (1.932 filas) and Sao Paulo with 28.6% (1.451 filas), having the largest amount. It's very curious that Minas Gerais, the state named by them as where the fila originated from only contributed with only 7% (358 filas) of the total registered dogs, just a little over the distant northeastern state of Pernambuco, 6,8% (345). I am curious to know the explanation of how RJ and SP end up with almost 3 times as many dogs as the state that originated the breed..

pages 26 & 27

 It appears as if in 1981 they had no clue what a Fila should be like. They believe the standard permits "elasticity" of interpretations and suppose there were "combinations" of characteristics that could be put together and selected. As I read this, I imagine in my mind a lego-like breed that can be constructed into whatever one's ideal can put together! They were so married to this mentality, that the CBKC intended to create a commission for a hearing on judges, breeders and specialized clubs, as well as an excursion around the country to observe individual dogs. They talk about the organization of a symposium to debate the standard and to create breeding guidelines to be put in effect at a national level by this Counsel. The entire page is devoted to justify plans for the debate about the standard for the breed in the following year, with an objective of modifying it. Mainly, because they found pressing reasons to urgently contain the great number of liters being bred and registered from being notably heterogeneous as the trend in breeding results had indicated thus far.
The pages are filled with fila kennel advertisements as well as Great Dane advertisements. Just as in Fashion magazines, wherein the editorial fashion shoots are done with the clothing brands advertised, so are the dogs featured in the editorials are from the kennels in the advertisements.

page 28

The caption on the photo on page 28 says that Females display 10% less aggressiveness when alongside a male. (The source this information is taken from is not indicated). On this page they also discuss the aggressiveness of the Fila. They say many are adamant that the Fila will not let anyone touch them, not even a judge at a show. Judges, on the other hand, believe this is an excuse used to keep judges from examining faults in teeth alignment. Also, a great impediment for the breed to be recognized by the AKC. The article calls the Fila a breed having a "split personality" because it is docile with those at home and hard to handle in face of strangers. Stating that a Fila may bite a visitor; they state the owner of Brafa da Mata Fria, Sergio Lopes, was bit by one of his own dogs. These were just some of the issues with the breed in the 80's as well as prognathism, cow-hocks, a variety of proportions of head and muzzle, all of which would be dealt with in the following year's symposium, having the main objective to seek a less atypical and better Fila. 

The 2 graphs on the bottom of page 28 are based on a CBKC bulletin of march, 1981, which showed a progression of number of dogs participating in shows, Championship Titles and Titles for Grand Champion. The difference between number of dogs participating in shows from 1976 to 1981 is of 1.634 dogs. Almost 3 times as many dogs participated in shows in 1981 than in 1976. Even more shocking is the number of registered Filas, which is shown in the next graphic with blue rectangles. In 1976, 1554 Filas were registered (which is quite a lot); in 1979, 5323 Filas were registered. That is a minimum average increase of 1256 dogs per year.  This progression is not explained throughout the article.

The Situation of the Fila in the Country.. This portion of the article is a run down of the situation of the breed in different parts of the country. The entire article is fundamentally a pep talk for a reformulation of the standard. Which was the solution they found to "equalize disparities". Finally, there are suggestions drafted on the last page of the article, on page 31.

Some suggestions for a new official standard for the breed

Trends put together by gathering the opinions of the majority of fila breeders for a debate at a symposium in 1982. There were divergent segments one pro standard change and another in favor of keeping the 1976 Standard.

-Evaluation of character and temperament trial to be done on dogs over 12 months   outside of the show ring.

- Head better definition for form, top of head and stop, as there was believed to be contradictions in the current (1976) standard. They believed the head should be slightly squared, and that the stop should not be marked seen front on, but the could be marked seen in profile.
- Bite inferior overbite to be discussed because it was believed it could be tolerated. However, superior overbite not permited, or both not accepted but not judged having equal value .
- Ears  definition of height of insertion
- Eyes  definition
- Topline and rump  rump not excessively higher than front -
- Trunk rectangular seen in profile - square figures to be penalized
- Coat Colors definition for acceptable colors preferably - brindle having base coat color chocolate, fawn and greyish, black, golden, and fawn. The brindle having greyish base coat color from crossing with Great Dane (which can be noticed by coat texture) must be penalized, as well as the brindle having white markings on its back. White markings will only be permitted on paws and chest. Some have the opinion there should be genetic research for the black coat color.
- Height and weight  stipulate max limits
- DQ's  short ears, lightweight build, prance, paws turning out
- Serious Faults short gait
- Faults  lack of dewlap
 
End of Article.

Collaboration  credits for this article:

 
Since the First written Standard, the CBKC has always opted for changing the breed standard. The latest change was made in 2004. Currently, they do no test for temperament or any other functional capacity and they also do not have an approval for reproduction certificate program in place.

1984 CBKC Standard and 1st Fila Standard

Current breed standard compared to the Cafib Standard.