These little, fearless creatures would go out on cliffs, down holes, wherever the rabbits went, they would follow.

When the AKC recognized the Podengo last year, they solely recognized the Pequeno, and determined it to be its own breed to avoid interbreeding between the sizes.īecause of their scrappy nature, the Pequenos were used to ferret rabbits out of the most ridiculous places, so the Medio could go in for the kill. The Pequeno is between 8-12.5″ long the Medio is 16 – 22″, and the Grande is 22-28″. The breed come in three sizes and two kinds of coat the smooth coat and the wire haired. They are a truly primitive breed it’s believed they were brought over to the Iberian Peninsula by the Phoenicians and Romans about 2000 years ago, and they were already rabbit, deer and boar hunters of Middle Eastern and Egyptian origin for 2000 years before that! They were ratters on ships and became rabbit hunters on land. They look like scruffy terrier mutts, but are actually hounds. To give you a bit of background, Portuguese Podengo Pequenos are a very lively little breed. He’s the #1 Podengo in the country! I am hopeless with a passion for Podengos and, finally, Sophie was going to meet her tribe. So, when my friend Marilyn Piurek, who introduced us to the breed, told me her dear friend, Carol Houlihan would be in town with her Podengo pup, “Houla’s Potter,” for Westminster and offered to introduce us, I was ecstatic! Potter isn’t just any ol’ Podengo. This may sound silly, but there’s only one other Podengo I know of in all of New York City, and Sophie and I haven’t been able to connect with Norman (that’s his name), although we’ve tried. That, in and of itself, is exciting, and Bark and Swagger will be there to cover the Podengo competition and the Hound Group results. Today was such an exciting day for us! If you don’t know by now, Sophie is a Portuguese Podengo Pequeno and, this year, the Podengo Pequeno makes its debut competing at Westminster. Ours are a quirky, funny, charming and fearless breed and, because they’re also a rare breed, I don’t get to see many of them. Their effervescence dazzles, and it gives me the goosebumps! I think the Podengo tribe is an awesome one.

Come discover the best of the best of both breeds with me, including the #1 Chihuahua in the history of the breed – Sonnito! Here then, Part Two of my Westminster coverage. So, we never know the whole story until we ask, and we can’t always judge a book by its cover. They’re into rescue, too, one of them in a very big way. I also learned something interesting, especially with a couple of the Chihuahua breeders. So this year for its 140th, I sought out the Podengos and Chihuahuas, and had a blast mingling with, photographing and getting my fill of the two breeds, both now family members in our own home. They care deeply about making sure their dogs are well cared for and represent the best their breed has to offer. They are as in love with their dogs as we are. I think there is a place for the responsible breeder in the marketplace, and the ones I’ve met at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show the past few years have all been wonderful. There was a time, however, when I didn’t know what I know now, and we bought Sophie, our Portuguese Podengo Pequeno, from a good breeder.

Portuguese podengo pequeno breeders