[lit-ideas] Re: Dogo Argentino, etc

  • From: Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:12:13 -0700

Lawrence wrote
I watched a program last night on the dog. It was described as a creation of man and the most malleable of all species. The program began with the creation of the Dogo Argentino. Argentine farmers had problems with wild boars; so some breeders decided to create the perfect dog for dealing with them. At least that was one story. The actual creators of the breed weren’t quite that narrow. They wanted a dog good for big game and wanted to start with the “Fighting Dog of Cordoba” and make it suitable to their purposes. It took 25 years but the result was the Dogo Argentino. We were shown three of these Dogos in their Kevlar vests taking down a boar and holding it for the hunter to come and dispatch it Argentina style, i.e., with a knife.
The Dogo Argentino (also called the Argentine Mastiff) was the result of a breeding program undertaken by Dr. Antonio Nores Martinez, in the 1920s, 'to produce a big game and puma hunter.' 'This imperious and impressive breed was bred to hunt in packs. Using an old type of Spanish fighting dog, the Spanish Mastiff, Great Dane, an old-style bull terrier, bulldog, and Boxer, created a bullish and fearless hunter with great stamina and a light coat capable of deflecting (sic) rather than absorbing heat. The breed instantly appealed to people who organize and enjoy dog fights, an activity popular in many parts of South America, and elsewhere. Argentina's first purebred dog, this white mastiff requires early socialization with other animals; it also requires early obedience training and should be given ample exercise.' 

[Encyclopedia of the Dog, Bruce Fogle DVM, 1995]
I understand that JL keeps a pack of these dogs around to protect his Loeb editions, when they are not out hunting pumas. 

Robert Paul

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