83rd National Cafib Exposition - March 14, 2010

Extreme heat and sudden
thunderstorms didn't hold back an event that brought together dedicated Fila Brasileiro owners, enthusiasts, judges and most importantly, a large number of homogeneous dogs who represented the "Paulo Santos Cruz" Standard in full effect.

The event was well put together and counted with the presence of international breeders. Some of whom even brought dogs from Latin America, as well as those who traveled considerable distances from all parts of Brazil. There were many judges from the official Cafib roster. The event also brought the "father of Cafib", Chico Peltier, who flew in from Rio de Janeiro to participate in the show which can be considered one of the best of recent times.

Ever wonder why some Filas look and act so differently ?

These two translated versions of the original article will provide the answers:

1-"How to Distinguish a Pure Fila from a Crossbred"

Originally published in "O Fila" - Monthly bulletin of CAFIB, Year 1, no. 1 -December 1978. Written by Paulo Santos Cruz Translated from original Portuguese with notes on Daniel Moore's new CAFIB-USA site.

2 -"How to Differenciate an Un-Mixed Fila from a Crossbred" This is a different translation of the same article above. From author and breeder Ines Van Damme's site.

When looking at pictures of the crossbred dogs from the period in which the original article linked above was written, aided by the illustrations contained in it, the characteristics of the different breeds used in crossbreeding can

easily be pinpointed. Some of the present day "versions" of the Fila Brasileiro breed include a vast morphological variety, as a consequence of continuous breeding of hybrids and their offspring throughout the subsequent years. Nonetheless, the article above is just as useful now as when it was written, and equally as important. It is a useful tool for the new-comer to the breed in the USA.

Examples of Hybrids of Fila X Great Danes (some of these photos are of 1st. generation hybrids):

For in-depth Historical Documentation of the Preservation and Improvement of the Fila Brasileiro, click here.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.