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www.dogsmonthly.co.uk www.dogsmonthly.co.uk66 August 2015 Dogs MONTHLY Dogs MONTHLY August 2015 67
Breeds & profiles
A
flyer on a lamppost in
a small fishing village
in the western Algarve
catches my eye. We’d been
considering a new puppy as a
companion for our eight-year-old
Labrador for some time, but my
husband Tony and I had almost
given up, having visited a fair
few breeders and their charges,
without any ticking our boxes.
Our spec: an intelligent and
active dog that will enjoy our
frequent and long walks and,
preferably, one that doesn’t
shed hair… extensively. Today,
in our second home in the
Portuguese village of Salema,
the proverb ‘You always find
something in the last place you
look’ rings true as I translate
the poster ‘Prova practica de
Salema para Cão de Agua
Português’ to ‘Practical proof
of the Portuguese Water
Dog in Salema’ and research
the breed that is evidently
featuring in some water trials
on our beach.
Now, isn’t Google Translate
just the best thing ever? I am
ashamed to admit my linguistic
skills are sadly lacking. For
someone hell-bent on spending
more and more time in this
most beautiful, heavenly slice
of south-west Europe, my
Portuguese is limited only to the
necessary niceties.
Anyway, what I can do is
research online and I discover
that Portuguese Water Dogs
– or PWDs or ‘Porties’ as they
are affectionately known – are
the smarties that truly do have
the answer.
For the uninitiated, these
dogs were once the best friends
of Portuguese fishermen,
driving fish into nets, retrieving
lost tackle and swimming
messages from boat to boat.
They have webbed feet and
waterproof coats. They thrive
with activity, especially if
it’s water based. And their
heritage stretches way back to
the 8th century when the Moors
arrived in Portugal, bringing
these water dogs with them.
BO AND SUNNY
We learn what’s possibly the
best-known fact about them –
that Barack Obama has two
(Bo and Sunny) – and we also
read that the dogs were near
extinct in the mid-1970s. It’s
only thanks to the dedication
of a few that this breed has
been able to make a healthy
comeback.
The Portuguese Water Dog
Club of Great Britain maintains
that: ‘There is documented
evidence of the breed being
around in the 12th century, or
at least of a dog which closely
resembled the modern PWD,
being a dog which had a black
coat of rough hair, cut to the
first rib and with a tuft on the
tip of his tail.’
Interesting snippets, such as
the fact that these dogs were
treated as part of the crew on
the fishing boat and took part
of the catch as a wage, only
fuels our interest in both the
dog and its heritage.
We search online and
immediately find a Portuguese
Water Dog puppy that is
available nearby. We visit the
litter and, in our enthusiasm,
promptly hand over a €200
deposit on a female puppy.
Meanwhile, some days later
at the water trials on Salema
beach, we watch from afar
one Rodrigo Pinto – a breeder
of PWDs and a man so in tune
with these hounds, it’s poetic.
He can bark an instruction that
brings his charges from all
points of the compass directly
into the crate where he stands –
within seconds.
PASSION AND
KNOWLEDGE
The beautiful hounds shoehorn
themselves inside and await his
next command, ready to spring
into action – and waiting on
him. Solely.
To cut a long story short, we
mingle with other PWD owners
and learn of our massive
error. We have blindly forged
ahead buying a puppy only to
discover that the breeder we’ve
befriended is blacklisted for
over-breeding and not rated
much by the locals.
When we later challenge the
breeder with these rumours and
‘bad press’, we are met with
mock indignation. We learn a
valuable lesson and walk away.
We remain a deposit down to
this day, and there’s a very
different deposit we’d love to
leave on the doorstep of the
suspected puppy farm, but some
things are best left – well, left.
And so back to Rodrigo…
My husband and I fall for this
man and his hounds we see on
the beach – and for his passion
and knowledge. We learn that
he runs the Canil Casa da Buba
canine hotel on the outskirts
of the nearby town of Lagos.
Rodrigo is a former professional
horse rider and now one of
Portugal’s leading breeders of
PWDs since opening the kennels
some eight years ago.
He is passionate about the
breed and explains, “For me,
water dogs are the best dogs in
the world. They possess unusual
intelligence and understanding,
an ability to assist, and they
Gone
fishin’
Having fallen in love with the Portuguese Water Dog
in its native country, Julie Bissett shares her story
and gives advice on how to navigate the unchartered
waters of buying a dog abroad
Rodrigo says…
“The Portuguese Water Dog is unique in that it has a strong
affinity with humans. It was raised – over many centuries – in
close contact with humans while working with the fishermen
in their boats.When the dog stopped working, it would retire
with the fisherman who owned it, never having any other
contact with other dogs. I believe this is why it is a prime
example of ‘man’s best friend’ and also why it makes a good
therapy dog.They suit everyone – from a family pet to a
working dog.”
These dogs were once the best
friends of Portuguese fishermen,
driving fish into nets, retrieving
lost tackle and swimming
messages from boat to boat‘
‘
Breeds & profiles
Gaining entry
It’s important your pup
meets all necessary entry
requirements.When you
enter or return to the UK
from another EU or non-EU
listed country,your dog
(whether purchased home
or abroad) needs to meet
the entry requirements.
These include:
• A microchip
• A rabies vaccination
• A pet passport or
third country official
veterinary certificate
• A tapeworm treatment
The full details can be
found at https://www.gov.
uk/take-pet-abroad

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www.dogsmonthly.co.uk www.dogsmonthly.co.uk68 August 2015 Dogs MONTHLY Dogs MONTHLY August 2015 69
Breeds & profiles
are great working dogs and
also great company.” So much
so, that he has ploughed much
time, energy and passion into
promoting the breed worldwide.
We return home to the UK
and talk on the phone long-
distance – lots – and he allows
us access to his ‘puppycam’
that is available 24/7 so
prospective buyers can watch
their pets-to-be. We have our
eye on a small black female
pup and eventually meet him
– and her – at the kennels-cum-
hotel for dogs. He does not
disappoint. And neither does
she. And, needless to say, this
man has a story to tell, too.
LIFE-GUARDS
Rodrigo’s plan is to reintroduce
PWDs as working dogs and
as life-guard assistants on the
beaches around the world. His
son, Gonçalo, and one of their
internationally award-winning
dogs, Linda, are the first
qualified water-dog life-guard
team in Portugal.
Rodrigo is now running
courses on a dedicated
section of the beach near the
Fortaleza in Lagos after he
sought permission from the
local authorities to give it over
to him at key times specifically
for his work. Here, the dogs
simulate the work they used to
do many centuries back, but for
the benefit of life-saving. They
are taught to retrieve objects
from the water, undergo rescue
exercises in which life-jackets
are strapped to them, and swim
towards a person in distress,
towing behind a human life-
guard who helps in the rescue
operation.
Their abilities are impressive,
their energy boundless, and we
book some time away in the
Algarve to get to know our new
friends.
A UNIQUE BUY
And so, we now have Unica in
our lives. Name by Rodrigo and
meaning ‘unique’ in Portuguese,
she’s certainly that. Black, curly-
haired and feisty, she’s settled
in to her UK home perfectly.
Checklist
• Take your time – even if it means a few visits to the
breeder. If things go wrong, it’s far harder to sort out if the
kennels are thousands of miles away
• Check and double-check the paperwork before travelling
back to the UK – veterinary clinics do make mistakes and
the rules are specific and the form-filling rigorous
• Get testimonials from previous buyers. Listen to others and
trust their feedback – word-of-mouth recommendations
or negative reports are valuable information if you are in a
country where you know few people
• Make a few long trips in the car when abroad to see how
the puppy fares before heading back home.You need to
know that the puppy is happy to travel long distances
• Make sure you have all the entry requirements (see box
on p66)
• When home, make sure you register the dog’s microchip
and immediately register with a vet
• And finally, get online and meet other puppy owners with
the same breed. Social media is a great way of sharing
stories, challenges, food likes and dislikes, top tips and
photographs of your breed. It makes you feel part of a
wider community, is a great support network, and and can
be fun, too, especially if you plan meeting up with them
and their pets one day!
Having a new puppy
from a breed that remains
relatively rare in the UK is a
great conversation starter with
fellow dog walkers. Chilli, our
retriever, has a new lease of
life and makes an excellent
surrogate mum. I’ve ‘met’ PWD
owners from all around the
globe via a breed Facebook
group and am now planning
to meet up wi th them on that
small, sandy beach in the south-
west corner of Europe where I
found our perfect pup.
And just as exciting is the
story of Rodrigo and his son,
Gonçalo, whose work to raise
the profile of the Portuguese
Water Dog is as boundless
and energetic as the breed
itself. These hounds have an
interesting history; they also
have an exciting future – and
there’s a whole world out there
with whom they wish to share
it. President Obama, are you
listening? l
For more on the breed,
visit www.portuguese
waterdogs.org.uk
For more about Rodrigo
and his award-winning
PWDs visit www.
cdblagos.com
To see a short film of
their lifeguard work,
visit http://vimeo.
com/67298371
‘
They are taught to retrieve objects
from the water, undergo rescue
exercises in which life-jackets are
strapped to them, and swim towards
a person in distress, towing behind a
human life-guard who helps in the
rescue operation.
‘