as a guide for a blind man in Germany. She was extremely cautious looking at both sides before walking her master across the streets of Einbeck, a little town close to Hanover. Elza would bring to his master anything he asked for: keys, glasses, the stick, handkerchief, etc. Her sweet brown eyes were full of love but that loving look changed as soon as anyone tried to put a finger on a lighter or anything belonging to her owner. She growled and showed her teeth in a very convincing way. As soon as I showed no intention to take anything away she was perfectly friendly and at ease again. Elza had this Fila's trait to evaluate different situations in the most amazing way. From my twenty years of experience breeding Filas I found out that the most protective dog in the litter is also the most intelligent one. The dog showing a dominant trait always ends up being the leader of the pack. Intelligence and aggressiveness are part of their leadership. They are in command of the pack and will determine their positions while guarding their territory or in the moment of stopping an intruder, besides giving directions to the pack while hunting. The "alpha" dog may be a male or a bitch. In their society what prevails is the strongest character and personality. During nine years Nubia de Samor has been the leader in our kennel until the day of her death. The hierarchy is established in a natural way and all the members of the pack respect it maintaining an orderly relationship. Police Dog Today not only in Brazil but around the whole world as well the Fila Brasileiro is considered the main breed for personal and property protection. Only a few dogs are still used for jaguar hunting or as cattle herders in the hinterland of Brazil. His abilities as a police dog have been highly appreciated in different countries as by the naval police of Peru, the army in Brazil and K-9 units in the United States. The nose of a Fila is comparable to a Bloodhound therefore the breed is also used for sniffing bombs and drugs successfully. The great advantage is that a Fila will get hold of the suspect at the end of the trail. The word "fila" means "to grab, to hold" in archaic Portuguese. There is no doubt about the increasing popularity of such a formidable guardian and devoted companion not only here in the U.S.A. but also all over the world, though a lot of responsibility is required by anyone owning a Fila. One cannot forget that the Fila Brasileiro was not man made but rather a product of its environment and the bare necessities for its own survival in the jungle, shaped by Nature in every detail to perform well any task with endurance and efficiency. A Fila must not only be loved but also understood above all. Evidently the deterioration of so many other wonderful breeds due to their popularity should serve as a warning of what may happen in the future. Selective breeders and their clubs will try to avoid the most distressing situations that seem to pursue the most popular breeds. Popularity always claims for a very high price, but maybe the Fila Brasileiro will be an exception due to its own characteristics, as the Fila is not meant for the average person. The BRAZZIL - JULY 1999
deep love, respect and devotion must be mutual. We are living in a very perturbed world where man systematically destroy the only available shield in the sky, our precious rain forests, our fountains and rivers are poisoned and our food transmit irreversible diseases to our children. Is there any room to preserve what i still pure and primitive? We do hope so with the help of people who care. Over one decade and a half passed by I since my first article showed up about the Fila Brasileiro. Since than we saw the breed taking its own place of honor around the world with the help of the Fila Brasileiro Association, which is an international organization following all CBKC/FCT regulations. The Fila Digest is a quarterly bulletin distributed for free to all its members. Our goal is to preserve and to protect this wonderful breed handing out useful information on breeding, nutrition, diseases and above all asking each owner to x-ray his producing stock to avoid hip dysplasia. We are serious about x-raying all the producing stock and discarding those with bad hips. A FBA champion must have proof of being Hip Dysplasia free before getting his title. There will always be commercial kennels interested just in making money, producing quantity not quality. They do not x-ray their dogs and do not give a sales guarantee as it is customary among conscious breeders. They will present a very poor excuse saYing that "as long the dog moves well he does not present dysplasia". Well, I had to put down more than one Fila I had imported for being severely displastic in spite of his moving like a feather. I lost the dog, the money and I had to go through all the trauma of losing a friend knowing that it was better for him to be sacrificed than to suffer an endless pain. Besides x-raying our dogs we incorporate the use of vitamin C in their diet in order to enhance collagen production. Collagen is the intracellular cement that gives strength to ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Dr. Wendell Belfield, published several works about HD and came up virith a biochemical concept. He affirms that since he incorporated the use of collagen and vitamin C for the prevention of HD he saw very few cases of it in his pra tice. In order to fight this problem that is a plague to all giant breeds, we hand out all available information besides asking the breeders to study well the pedigrees of future litters. If you buy a puppy haNiing in mind the objective to enter it at shows in the future, or if you plan to breed your dog some day, the pedigree of your puppy is of great importance and certainly you should try to know as much as you can about its ancestry. Old-timers are the best people to talk about the champions, if any, listed in the pedigree of your dog. Possiblyl they will remember something about their quality and structure besides the temperament of the dogs. This will prove very helpful while planning your breeding program. Selection is the key of success and the American breeders are being very giccessful following the breeding regulations of CBKC (Brazilian Confederation) and trying to breed only good to good or good to excellent specimens. The results can be seen in the World Shows where the American stock came out as winners. Top winners came out 23