THE PRESA CANARIO DOG

APPENDIX

    A dog breeder, just like a horse breeder or a cat breeder is interested in the origins of his or her animals, or at least in the origins of the animals that they seek to use for breeding purposes. They are also interested in the origins of other breeders' animals and in the origins of the animals' past to quite a detailed extent, even wanting to know from what country the animal was from, etc. This curiosity is taken to extremes in some cases, becoming a real passion or an obssession even.
Likewise in the case of the Presa Canario dog. Perhaps even more so, since it is a dog that has really come about as of late.
     On the other hand, we must be sensible enough to be able to separate fiction from reality. I mean, often what we are told is reality is not. For example, let's say that I buy a dog and they tell me that the mother of my dog was This-and-that and the father of the dog was So-and-so, and the grandparents are W, X, Y and Z. Now let us suppose that this isn't the whole truth, though it is true in part. For the information that I was given was true for the father, but false for the mother's side. Or perhaps the misinformation was given with regard to the grandparent history. Either way, I think you follow me. Now, this, my dear friends, has gone on in the beginning of all modern canine breeds, or in almost all of them. The Presa Canario is no exception to the rule. We see a pedigree, we analyze it (a pedigree of a pup from Tenerife, Spain) and we come to find out that it is not so, to one degree or another. The same can be said of the Presas that are raised in Gran Canaria or in mainland Spain or in any other European or American country. Now don't go getting your skirts up. I do not mean to imply by any means that all breeders are liars like this. One can always find some serious, honest, real breeder who besides not lying on his/her pedigree statement even x-rays the dogs' hips, selects for mental and morphological qualities for the sole, satisfying purpose of producing ever more improved Presas Canarios.

     Since the hiding of certain real origins seems to be becoming a fashionable past-time for some breeders (What vested interests will lead us to!), I am going to take the trouble to bring to this, my web page, some Presas that have left behind a certain descendence in Tenerife.
     And from Tenerife they have gone on to land in many places, to become champions, to be real hits. So read on you geneologists interested in the Presa Canario dog. There might be something in this for you or for your dogs!

1. Piba, property of IREMA CURTÓ. Bred by Juan Santana Álamo (from Gran Canaria island). Rescued from sure death in Las Tres Palmas (Gran Canaria island) at three months of age. IREMA CURTÓ's first female Presa Canario.

2. Boby, property of IREMA CURTÓ. Bred by Manuel Alemán (from Arucas, Gran Canaria island). First male Presa Canario owned by IREMA CURTÓ.

3. Toby de IREMA CURTÓ, son of Piba and Boby, born in 1977. 4. Gey de IREMA CURTÓ, son of Piba and Boby, born    in 1977.

5. Tamay de IREMA CURTÓ, daughter of Piba and Boby, born in 1977.

6. Mora de IREMA CURTÓ, daughter of Piba and Boby, born in 1977. This Mora coupled with Drago (son of Gara and Manolo) gave birth to Guanche, among others, who in the hands of his owner, Dr. Murube del Castillo, was taken to Madrid and after a short while was given to Mr. Asensio of the breeding house Atlas Asio.

7. Beneharo de IREMA CURTÓ, son of Tamay de IREMA CURTÓ and Felo, born
in 1978.

8. Mahan de IREMA CURTÓ,son of Tamay de IREMA CURTÓ and Felo, born in 1978.

9. Guama de IREMA CURTÓ, daughter of Tamay de IREMA CURTÓ and Felo, born in 1978.

10. Guacimara de IREMA CURTÓ, daughter of Tamay de IREMA CURTÓ and Felo, born in 1978.

11. Volcán de IREMA CURTÓ, son of Tamay de IREMA CURTÓ and Beneharo de IREMA CURTÓ, born in 1979.

12. Tinguaro de IREMA CURTÓ, son of Guama de IREMA CURTÓ and Gruñón (an English Bulldog from South Africa), born in 1980.

13. Campeón de IREMA CURTÓ, son of Guama de IREMA CURTÓ and Gruñón (English Bulldog from South Africa), born in 1980.

14. Teguise de IREMA CURTÓ, daughter of Guama de IREMA CURTÓ and Gruñón (English Bulldog from South Africa), born in 1980.

15. Tasco de IREMA CURTÓ, son of Guama de IREMA CURTÓ and Gruñón(English Bulldog from South Africa), born in 1980.

16. Catire de IREMA CURTÓ, son of Guama de IREMA CURTÓ and Gruñón (English Bulldog from South Africa), born in 1980, exported to Caracas, Venezuela.

17. Kadul de IREMA CURTÓ, son of Piba and Tinguaro de IREMA CURTÓ, born in 1981.

18. Nusca (de IREMA CURTÓ), daughter of Tipha (striped Spanish Mastiff, daughter of Teko, CH. in Spain and in the world, born in Antonio Cabezas Albamonte's breeding house in Madrid) and Tinguaro de IREMA CURTÓ. Nusca is the mother of Barón, CH. of the I and II race monographs and First CH in Spain. Baron's father was Sultán. Sultán was the son of Patagón, and Patagón was the son of Teguise de IREMA CURTÓ and Mahán de IREMA CURTÓ.

Now, armed with this data and the book El Presa Canario (1998) by Manuel Martín Bethencourt (do not miss the chapter entitled "Actualidad del Presa Canario", starting on page 75), one can learn something about the origins of part of the Presas from Tenerife.

I am tempted write an exhaustive study of the real origins of the different families of Presas Canarios from the Canary Islands , datingfrom the 1970's to the present day. The material is there. We'll see.

But let's get back to the original reason for inserting this annex to my web page. The breeder, researcher into the origins of his or her dogs or that of other dogs, having done their homework, will have found out that (based on the contents of the book I just mentioned) the champions (¿) of the monograph and of Spain have a fundamentally very concrete origin (whether a breeder wants to mention this or not). And that fundamental origin, as stated by Martín Bethencourt himself, is this:
León-Sultán. As anyone who has looked into it can confirm, all specimens which stand out as having won prizes are direct descendents in first, second, third or fourth generation of Mahán-Teguise-Champion (de IREMA CURTÓ, don´t forget) and Nusca de IREMA CURTÓ, Barón's mother--although the author of that book does a bit of juggling around with his data, and instead of being clearly stated so, one must work it out for oneself.

As you can imagine, the Presa Canario dog is not just this alone. It is fortunately much, much more. What we have been looking at here are just those dogs that the specialist judges of the Spanish Presa Canario Club have given out, advised by (or induced by, if you wish) by Manuel Martín Bethencourt. In this rather sad story IREMA CURTÓ breeding house doesn't come up bad. For it is out of our house that all of this genetic base has come. But this is not the main point. What's important is to realize that from the very beginning of the race's official club there has been absolutely no objectivity involved in breeding planning nor in the awarding of prizes. But then again, I have been complaining about this for eons.

Mr. Martín-Bethencourt, surrounded by a handful of unconditional friends, has made a real effort to leave his mark on the breed, insofar as officially possible, albeit in his own peculiar way of understanding it all. It isn't possible to put doors on the countryside, thank God, and the Presa Canario dog has been able to transcend the personal interests of fame or fortune that certain people struggle to attain.

At this stage in the game, the Presa Canario dog, acknowledged or not by the FCI, is a part of human heritage, and not just some dog that has been taken by someone to be of their own private property. Furthermore, the Presa Canario and its family/origin diversity, etc., is far more complex than can be concluded upon reading the above-mentioned book. It goes without saying that the future of the Presa Canario, its genetic> base, does not lie exclusively (by any means) on those specimens. The genetic base of IREMA CURTÓ's present-day presas, as those in other parts of the Canaries, have little or nothing to do with the specimens cited above or with others of the same origin.

By the way, I forgot to mention that there are those who believe that Patagón wasn't the son of Teguise but rather of a Bordeaux Dane owned by the breeder that coupled her with Mahán.

Manuel Curto Gracia          
  -Irema Curto Kennels-          

Piba, first female  Perro de Presa Canario of Irema Curtó Kennels	Tamay de Irema Curtó born in  1977
Toby de Irema Curtó, 1977	Gey de Irema Curtó, 1977
Beneharo de Irema Curtó, 1978	Mahan de Irema Curtó 1978
Volcán de Irema Curtó, 1983	Kadul de Irema Curtó,1981

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