Star Mountain Kennel

Portuguese Podengo, Connecticut

Margaret Boisture AKC Breeder of Merit Advocating for Portuguese Podengo Pequenos and all Purebred Dogs. Happy, Healthy, Hardy Dogs Bred For Form And Function™ 860-707-9666 http://starmountainkennel.com Bred for function and form, form and function. The Portuguese Podengo Pequeno comes in two coats. A smooth and wire coat. The wire coats are very popular and most judges and exhibitors have seen them before. The smooth is the original coat dating back to the Egyptian times but until recently have not been shown here in the States. You might possibly have 10 wire coat varieties in your ring and only one smooth. Judges must look beyond the coat. Many times judges report putting up a wire because that is the coat they’ve seen before, or that the wire is “cuter”. Some claim the wire is more to standard than the smooth. However, This could be due to coat and grooming. The smooth is a what you see is what you get variety. The breed standard calls for “Smooth coat which is short and very dense. Wire coat (rough) is long and harsh. The hair on the muzzle is longer (bearded) on the wire coat variety. The wire coat is not as dense as the smooth variety. Both varieties are without undercoat. Skin on both varieties is thin and close fitting. A very rustic breed shown naturally. Groomed but not trimmed or sculpted” ~Rustic Breed shown naturally. ~GROOMED but not sculpted. These two sentences confuse many exhibitors. The breed standard calls for “The height is 8 to 12 inches and the weight is 9 to 13 pounds. Proportions – The distance from the withers to the bottom of the chest is one half the total height. The length from the point of shoulder to the point of buttocks is 20 percent longer than the height.” ~8 to 12 inches. The correct dog might seem small when the majority of the dogs are over 12 inches. ~20 percent longer than tall. This is not square. ~ The distance from the withers to the bottom of the chest is one half the total height. This is a 50/50 ratio The breed standard states “Stop – Barely defined. Eyes – Very lively expression with small almond shape set slightly oblique. Not rounded or prominent.” ~eyes that are Round do not protect the dog while hunting. We must remember function when judging. The breed standard calls for color that is “Yellow or Fawn. Light, medium or dark shades are acceptable. The color can be solid or with white markings or white with markings of the above colors. The following colors are accepted but not preferred. Black or brown, as solid colors or with white markings.” ~the function of the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno is to hunt rabbits. The standard was written this way to protect the dogs. I’ve talked to some of the creators who helped rewrite the standard as we know it now. They did not expect people to breed for not preferred colors. When hunting, either actively shooting or searching the fields you will not see a black dog. He will be hidden in the shadows. This is dangerous. Dog Show Fun  We have fun showing our Podengos in conformation and we love winning our ribbons and posting our brags but at Star Mountain Kennel it is more than just winning at a show. It is about the health of our dogs and the health of generations to come. We breed podengo pequenos and we participate in conformation because we love this breed. We pride ourselves on our research, our health testing, and our matings selections. Important Stuff Healthy, Happy, Hardy Dogs for Form and Function™ We take the health of our dogs and their progeny very seriously. We do all the health tests recommended by the parent club plus DNA tests and additional health tests. We are happy to provide you with the results of the tests. In this post I’m going to be blunt on a few topics – Health Tests Not all breeders actually do the tests they claim to do. Not all breeders will provide the results of tests. Please always verify the results of the tests. Ask for copies. If a breeder doesn’t send you the results of either of the parents or if he has a dog-ate-its-homework story about why the test reports are unavailable, I would urge you to look for another breeder to work with. If I don’t have puppies, I will refer you to other breeders I would personally trust to get a dog from, other breeders of Portuguese Podengo Pequenos I would feel comfortable doing business with. Please even ask them to see the results of tests. I’m going to be outspoken on another point. Not all breeders have their puppies examined by a licensed veterinarian. Not all breeders have a licensed veterinarian administer vaccines. Before leaving our home, every one of our puppies receives an exam and their first set of shots, and are microchipped, by a licensed veterinarian. We provide each new owner with your puppy’s individual health record. I’m not a veterinarian, I did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night, I have no business pretending to be a veterinarian. I urge you to demand no less. Preservation We are known to speak out about breeding dogs that do not fit the Country of Origin standard. We also openly speak out about health testing and the need for all Pequenos to be properly DNA’d. We believe the health of the breed should come before any ribbons or egos. That does not make us many friends and we are okay with that. We have traveled to Portugal many times to meet with breeders, hunters, and dog lovers in Portugal who know about the breed and its history. In order to be a preservation breeder you need to understand what needs preservation and why. We have worked hard to do so. Socialization All of our puppies are raised in our house and are socialized starting at birth to provide happy, healthy, and well-adjusted puppies. We would love for you to visit our home. We use the puppy culture program to make sure each one of our puppies enters the world with as much promise as possible. We don’t feel it is the number of dogs one breeds in one year or a lifetime that counts but instead the quality of life each of one’s dogs (and puppies) leads. The quality of care one give each puppy and dog is what counts. Someone could only breed one litter in their lifetime but still be a bad breeder. Guarantee We will always take a dog (or puppy) back. No questions asked. Anytime during its lifetime. We will find it a good new home. References Star Mountain would be happy to provide you with references. Ethics I like that the AKC sets some of us apart with the Bred with Heart program and the Breeder of Merit program. Did you know, however, they cannot disqualify someone due to poor ethics. We have breeders in our breed and club who have dumped dogs at shelters (proven). Also, even though we all promise to do the requirements set forth by the AKC to be a Bred with Heart member or a Breeder of Merit., not all breeders truly do them or continue to do them after joining. The AKC does its best to verify but they cannot be everywhere. Caveat emptor! Please, you owe it to yourself and your dog.