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107^th National Exhibition of CAFIB’s Fila Brasileiro

11^th Exhibition of Itanhandu’s Fila Brasileiro

The traveler who, for the first time, covers Minas Gerais mountains toward Itanhandu is admired when contemplating the milk cows that, with bovine indifference, calmly confront the law of the gravity by dolefully walking, or ruminating placidly, in those suicidal pastures, sown in almost vertical scarps, more appropriate to the breeding of mountain deers, and where the brachiaria starts taking up the traditional place of fat grasses and H. rufa. This gorgeous landscape, where the tropical forests of the Atlantic Mata are interspaced with forests of araucarias, is placed in one of the highest regions in Brazil, where, quite often, the temperature falls down disastrously from four or five degrees below zero. There, the fauna and flora are exuberant - with a huge variety of birds, bromeliads and mandacarus - and among the highest peaks, there are so many waterfalls that the Indians poetically started to call this place Mantiqueira, Tupi word that means “mountain range that cries”. Established in the 19^th century, the city of Itanhandu, in addition to rich in rapids, waterfalls and wells, has as one of its main tourist attractions the spring of the Rio Verde, whose course goes down, winding through the steep hillsides. Alongside with other seven tourist cities - Aiuruoca, Alagoa, Itamonte, Passa Quatro, Pouso Alto, São Sebastião do Rio Verde and Virginia - Itanhandu is part of the region called Terras Altas (High Lands) of the Mantiqueira, as well as of its Environmental Protection Area.

Moreover, Itanhandu also integrates the most expressive region in the history of the Fila Brasileiro and its official and international recognition in the 20^th century: this area of the South of Minas Gerais covered by the attorney Paulo Santos Cruz in the 40‘s and from where he brought the first samples, which would constitute the corner stone of his legendary Parnapuan Kennel. This historic scenario for the breed, in the also historic Guapiara Farm, belonging to Cíntia and Gérson Junqueira de Barros, has already made a tradition of the accomplishment of the great event that, every year, marks the opening of CAFIB’s Exhibition Calendar. Actually, Gérson has the Fila Brasileiro engraved in his DNA, belonging to a family of old breeders and being the nephew-grandson of Pedrinho do Engenho, as Pedro Ribeiro Junqueira de Souza was known, one of the most important selectors of the breed in the last century. Moreover, Gérson had, also, a lot of contact with farmer João Costa, whose traditional kennel, in Itanhandu, we, of CAFIB, also visited at the beginning of the 80’s. Pedrinho - who was the brother of Gérson’s grandfather, Francisco Ribeiro de Andrade Junqueira -, after having graduated from the Federal Pharmacy School of Alfenas, returned to his native town - then, Silvestre Ferraz, today, Carmo de Minas - and started to run Fazenda do Engenho (Engenho Farm), belonging to his family, where he continued the breeding of Fila Brasileiro dogs, started by his grandfather on his father side, Joaquim José de Faria e Souza, in 1850.

These circular bulletins, where, in addition to disseminating news, we also seek to report the memory of CAFIB and the Fila Brasileiro, is a justified souvenir of the historical meeting between three creative veterans, considered pillars of the preservation and the improvement of the breed in the 20^th century. In October 1981, Airton and I we promoted, in Varginha, South of Minas – at the time of the Analysis of Phenotype and Temperament that CAFIB carried out there -, a reunion with Paulo Santos Cruz (Santos, SP), José Gomes de Oliveira (Varginha, MG) and Pedrinho do Engenho (Carmo de Minas, MG). The photograph of these three venerable doyen illustrates the cover of the bulletin “O Fila” No. 31.

And, speaking of history and tradition, this year – 2018 -, CAFIB, in this 107^th National Exhibition of the Fila Brasileiro and the 11^th Exhibition of Itanhandu’s CAFIB, on Sunday, April 8, proudly, and in great style, was held the celebration of its 40^th anniversary, breaking the record registered last year, when 72 Filas were judged there, and reaching the impressive mark today of 101 dogs on the track of the Guapiara Farm.

It is worth emphasizing a little some of the aspects of this interesting property, where it is also installed, an old alembic, under lease these days, which produces the highly prized cachaça “Excelência”, that, even in Belgium, has already won quality competition among the best spirits of the world. The impressive, and the spotlessly clean, facilities of the also highly prized Itanhandu Kennel extends for a wide area that shelters dozens of reproduction female Filas, several reproduction male Filas and many young dogs, of varied ages. Near there, in another set of kennels, numerous specimens of the luxury-type and pet dogs are bred, formerly known as Lulu da Pomerânica; in France, as Loulou of Poméranie; in Italy, as Volpine and in Russia, as Laika and, today, internationally standardized with the German denomination of Dwarf Spitz. These small dogs are miniature descedants of the Great German Spitz and became extremely popular in England for having been the preferred breed of Queen Victoria who, at the end of the 19^th century, acquired her first specimen in Florence and then started to raise them in a wider scale and present them at exhibitions.

In the morning period of a Sunday, the Analysis of Phenotype and Temperament was carried out, with the presence of 16 Filas. Of these, 14 (87.5%) were approved and 2 (12.5%), were rejected due to disqualifying reaction in the temperament tests and nervous system. Six judges from CAFIB acted in the event, in addition to Airton Campbell (São Paulo, SP) and Américo Cardoso dos Santos Jr. (Vargem Grande Paulista, SP), who judged the Exhibition. Several functions were also played by Giovani Éder Florêncio de Carvalho (Aparecida, SP), Fabiano Gonçalves Nunes (Guaratinguetá, SP), Jonas Tadeu Iacovantuono (Guaratinguetá, SP) and Mariana Campbell (São Paulo, SP). It was, furthermore, very important the performance of Bete Hino (Guarulhos, SP), who assisted the judges; of Cleide Cocito Cardoso dos Santos (Vargem Grande Paulista, SP), in support to the secretary; of Bruna Frias (Aiuruoca, MG), responsible for photographing the dogs analyzed; of Cíntia Junqueira de Barros (Itanhandu, MG), who photographed the Exhibition, and Cristiano Gonçalves Vieira (São Bernardo do Campo), who used a drone to record the aerial images.

CAFIB highlights and thanks the presence of important personalities, among breeders, enthusiastic exhibitors of the breed, coming from several Brazilian states and other countries. From Minas Gerais, we had representatives from Aiuruoca, Baependi, Campo Belo, Igaratinga, Itamonte, Itanhandu, Passes Quatro and Perdões. The paulistas were represented by participants from Aparecida, Biritiba Mirim, Caçapava, Guaratinguetá, Guarulhos, Jacareí, São Bernardo do Campo, São Carlos, São Paulo, Suzano and Vargem Grande Paulista. Goiás was represented by Aparecida de Goiânia and Goiânia. We also registered the presence of the breed’s enthusiasts from Maranhão, who came from the cities of Caxias and São Luís; Teresina (PI), Rio De Janeiro (RJ) and Pinheiro Machado (RS).

CAFIB is always proud to be visited by couple Marisa and Shoji “Jorge” Hino, owners of the awarded Kennel Hisama (Guarulhos, SP). We also emphasize the presence of Carlos Eduardo “Pipico” Gonçalves, from the Borghetto Kennel, Rio Grande do Sul and Leo Lima, from the Kennel Itapi, of Piauí. We are also grateful for the attendance of Dr. Aluísio Mello and Dr. Ricardo Chaves from Maranhão.

And in the foreign delegations that honored us with their presence were Zenon Gustavo Cousillas, from Argentina, and our representatives Cindy and Juan Carlos Hernandez, from New Jersey, in the United States. The attendance of the friendly, enthusiastic and always present couple José Mário Rojas Ocampo and Lígia Chaves Rodrigues, holders of the Kennel El Isidreño, our friends who represent CAFIB in Costa Rica should be noted.

Actually, on the Republic of Costa Rica, we justify here the register of a dog-related curiosity. In this country, in Santa Bárbara de Heredia, near Carrizal de Alajuela, it was installed in 2008, an institution called Territory of Zaguates, by the couple Lya Battle and Alvaro Saumet. “Zaguates” is the local word to designate the street dogs, without definite breed – the ones even today called “mongrels”, a name that, for many years should have already been changed and modernized to “bag-ripper”, since the younger population did not get to know the old and unhygienic garbage cans lined up to the side of the gates, waiting to be poured into the garbage collection trucks and then, replaced on the sidewalks to receive the residues from the next day.

In Costa Rica, the Territory of Zaguates was created to promote the well-being of abandoned dogs, or those without a home; in the weekends, it is open, with gratuitous entrance, to the public interested in walking through its mountainous tracks, followed by the impressive and heterogeneous pack composed by hundreds of specimens of the most varied sizes, conformations, furs and colors. There, the number of tenants is, evidently, variable (something between 700 and 900 dogs) because many are constantly adopted by new owners, while others do not stop coming. In addition to having ever been put to sleep, all the dogs that do not get adoptive homes receive a name and a well-humoured denomination for their lineage (of which each one is the single representative). Among these the so-called “Razas Únicas de Costa Rica”, are the “Border Cocker”, the “Collie Terrir of Alaska”, the “German Dobernauzer”, the “Schnaufox”, the “Irish Patilargo” and the “French Singed Pumi”, as well as hundreds of others, printed on illustrative pictures where, beside the image, are also specified these original names created by a group of imaginative advertising experts. The institution bears with high expenditures - about 20 thousand dollars per month – supported by the couple who own it, by a large sponsor, by people who are taken to the idea of the project, by visitors who leave small donations and by several donations made through the Internet. Volunteers also help clean kennels, feed and until bathe the dogs.

And, speaking of curiosities of Costa Rica - nation with such a pacific mentality that it extinguished its Army more than 50 years ago and where the streets have no name and the houses have no number -, it should be remembered that this small country, bathed on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and, on the other side, by the Pacific Ocean, is the only country of Latin America listed among the 22 oldest democracies in the world. It relies on a rate of 96% of literacy in its population, which has the habit of eating beans with rice for breakfast, of placing ice cubes in their beer glasses and is considered the happiest country in the world by the Happy Planet Index. It is also proud of being the detainer of one of biggest biodiversities of the planet (with the biggest density and variety of orchids among all the nations, registering the impressive mark of more than 1000 species of this flower) and having become worldwide reference in the use of alternative sources of energy. And now, its government gives another example to the world while announcing that, in ten years, all the zoos of the country will be closed and that its Ministry of the Environment, when deactivating the cages, intends to reinforce even more local biodiversity in botanical parks and in natural shelters with conditions perfectly adjusted to the protection and reproduction of wild animals.

Returning to the South of Minas, we inform that the 101 participating Filas of the exhibition were distributed by age and sex, in the following classes:

Incentive Puppies: 11 males and 15 females,

Puppets: 13 males and 21 females,

New: 5 males and 7 females,

Young: 3 males and 8 females and

Adults: 7 males and 11 females.

In total 39 males (38.61%) and 62 females were judged (61.39%)

CAFIB always prioritized the quality and not the quantity, but it is evident that the ideal is the quantity with quality, such as happened at this exhibition. Forty three Filas (42.57%) were qualified as Very Good, silver medal and 58 (57.43%) with Good, bronze medal. No Fila received the Regular qualification.

We stand out that the two categories that award the best brindles, with less and with more than one year, was a praiseworthy initiative of our honoris causa judge, Francisco Peltier de Queiróz. It is that at the beginning of the work of CAFIB, there were important specimens with this fur standing out at the Exhibitions at the time, such as Castor of Tamakavi, Leãozinho of Aquenta Sol, Dendê of Fazenda Malota, Oscar of Ibituruna and so many others. As time went by, and without any specific reason, the bridles became increasingly rarer and almost disappeared from the tracks. Today, thanks to this new incentive, their number has increased again.

In this exhibition, 17 brindle Filas were presented (16.87%), a promising number, almost reaching the historical levels of brindles of the Fila breed, which was always around 20 to 25 %.

We remind that the trophies delivered to the brindles take the name of Trophy Chico Peltier.

The result of the main classes of the 107^th National Exhibition of the Fila Brasileiro and 11^th Exhibition of Itanhandu’s CAFIB was the following:

Best Male: Kratos of Itanhandu, of Brenda and Rodrigo Queiróz from Patrocínio, MG​

Best Female: Seville of Itanhandu, of Cintia and Gerson Junqueira de Barros from Itanhandu, MG

Best Head: Seville of Itanhandu

Best Temperament: Lyoto Fila Roots of Alessandro Castro Bueno, from Aparecida de Goiânia, GO

Best Brindle (less than 1 year): Bel V Guardiães do Caracu, of Wilson Vilela, from Campo Belo, MG

Best Brindle (over 1 year): Marabá III of Santa Luzia, of Newton Filizola, from São Carlos, SP

It should also be highlighted the important participation of the Argentine breeder Zenon Cousillas, who acted with competence in the tests of temperament, assisting the experiment Dionísio Rabello. Zenon, who has a lot of experience with Filas, supplied to the judges, important notes on spontaneity, safety and real impetus of the attack of each specimen, as well as on the force and the violence of the bite felt in his arm protected by the quilted leather sleeve.

At the end of the event, as usual, the organizer and host, Gérson Junqueira de Barros, before inviting the participants for the traditional feijoada prepared by Dona Elza Júlio, when pronouncing his closing words, played homage from the Itanhandu Kennel to us, attending founding judges of CAFIB, Airton Campbell and me, Américo Cardoso dos Santos Jr, to the also founding judge Luiz Antônio Maciel and to the “Father of CAFIB”, Francisco Peltier de Queiroz, “for the 40 years of foundation of the Club and for the untiring devotion to the preservation of the Fila Brasileiro”. With no false modesty, actually, we are very proud of our uninterrupted and efficient performance in these last four decades and of the conquests that we have reached.

The complete result of this exhibition shall be published soon by our Board of Disclosure, on site: www.cafibbrasil.com or www.cafib.org.br.

And our next event will be the 5^th Exhibition of Fila Brasileiro of Jacareí, SP, on May 20, 2018, at the Park of Exhibitions, organized by Flávio Pires, of the Palmares Kennel, and judged by Mariana Campbell and Pedro Carlos Borotti.