Estrela Mountain Dog
- Origin
- Portugal
- Type
- Livestock guardian
- Size
- Giant
- Height
- 62–75 cm (24–30 in)
- Weight
- 35–60 kg (77–132 lb)
- Coat
- Long or short, with a thick undercoat
- Colors
- Fawn, gray or yellow, solid or brindled; wolf gray
- Status
- Recognised by the FCI
The Estrela Mountain Dog, in Portuguese the Cão da Serra da Estrela, is a large flock guardian from the Serra da Estrela, a mountain range in central Portugal. It was developed there to watch over livestock.
History
The breed took shape in the Serra da Estrela mountains. A breed society, the Associação Portuguesa do Cão da Serra da Estrela, was founded in Lisbon in December 1986, and its statutes were published in the official gazette early the following year. The dog is recognised by the Portuguese kennel club, the Clube Português de Canicultura, and by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
Some of the dogs are still at work. In the twenty-first century they have been used to protect flocks from Iberian wolves, which are themselves a protected species.
Appearance
Males stand 65 to 75 cm (26 to 30 in) tall and weigh 45 to 60 kg (99 to 132 lb). Females stand 62 to 71 cm (24 to 28 in) and weigh 35 to 45 kg (77 to 99 lb). The coat may be long or short, and both kinds have a thick undercoat. Colors are fawn, gray or yellow in any shade, either solid or brindled, and wolf gray with fawn, gray or yellow tones.
Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.