Terceira Mastiff
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. (February 2020) |
| Terceira Mastiff | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original type of the breed | |||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Fila da Terceira Cão de Fila da Terceira | ||||||||||||||||
| Common nicknames | Rabo Torto | ||||||||||||||||
| Origin | Portugal | ||||||||||||||||
| Breed status | Extinct | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||||||
The Terceira Mastiff (Portuguese: Cão de Fila da Terceira) is an extinct Portuguese dog landrace, also known as the Rabo Torto (rabo=tail, torto=curled/twisted).[1][page needed]
History
[edit]The Terceira Mastiff came from the island of Terceira, located in the Azores, which is the only island where this dog has ever existed and where it was employed as a house guardian. It descended from the Rafeiro do Alentejo.[2]
In the 1960s, there was an attempt to revive the breed with the aid of the Portuguese government.[1] However, there was disagreement between government officials and breeders, which led to the project's failure.[1] After this, the future of the Terceira Mastiff depended solely on local farmers and breed fanciers. By the 1970s, it was already declared extinct.[1]
It is an ancestor to both the Cão Fila de São Miguel and the Fila Brasileiro. This breed is different from the Barbado da Terceira.
Appearance
[edit]_-_Exposi%C3%A7%C3%A3o_de_c%C3%A3es_em_Lisboa,_20th_century.png)
The Terceira Mastiff is a medium-sized molosser that represents the Fila or Dogo type and resembles the Cão Fila de São Miguel. One of its most remarkable features is an innately short, corkscrew-like tail.[1] Its nose can be either black, brown, or even pink.[citation needed] The colour of the short, smooth[citation needed] coat can be either fawn or yellow, always with a light mask.[1] Red, black and brindle individuals are usually considered to be impure.[citation needed] The height is approximately 55 cm (22 in).[1]