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STORIES OF
PRESAS CANARIOS
- PRESAS CANARIOS?
When I arrived at the Canary Islands, just
married and with twenty-three years of age, nothing knew of canary dogs,
in fact nothing knew of the Canary Islands, I do not know why I imagined
that like tropical islands, full of vegetation everywhere, and that the
bananas that a lot of times had eaten from very young in my town lleidatá
(of Lleida in Catalan, in Castilian Lérida, from the Arab) produced high
palms similar to which they saw in the North American films in Hawaii,
with the difference that these produced coconuts. Soon, when they took me
to see bananas in his natural atmosphere I had a tremendous deception. The
plataneras (banana trees) were bushes of about three meters, more
or less, with wide and long leaves, the lowest brushing the earth. In my
life I have had many deceptions of this type, by the way. With too much
frequency the reality is not as us they told it, or as us we imagined it
when they tell it to us.
Passed a time, three years perhaps, more or less, my father-in-law,
commander officer of the Civil Guard retired, spoke to me of the Majorero
Dog. He had been destined in Fuerteventura, -with the lieutenant
graduation seems to me- already finished the second war.
A day, while we had lunch, my father-in-law brought to collation, in the
conversation, the Majorero Dog, and he told me that a German, ex-military,
nazi, very understood in dogs, said him in certain occasion that in
Fuerteventura were the best police dog, better than the German Shepherd,
because they learns alone, he does not entrust nor in his mother, and he
is not scared of nothing or to anybody. It is of supposition that in those
years in Fuerteventura would be many and very good dogs of cattle still.
Soon, already living in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the madness by the
dogs awoke in me. I bought by telephone one podenca Ibicenca (greyhound)
native of Ibiza in Barcelona and a podenco Ibicenco in Palma de Mallorca,
and an English Pointer, and a German Shepherd to doctor Luís Soldevilla de
Benito, of Madrid, and..., someone, nonmemory who, spoke me of the dogs of
presa, and in search of them I went with the greater illusion of the world.
Thus was how I knew Salvadorito, Francisco Santana Santana, etc.
Salvadorito had, very near which they called the New Commercial Deposits,
in the Outer Dock, in where he worked at night like guardian, a dog of
presa of brindle coat put in a room made specifically to lock up him there
during the day; the room had a door and the door a grid in the top from
where was able to see the dog. Salvadorito in addition had tied a Boxer
female on the foot of a hut of wood, and two or three puppies of that
female and the dog of presa.
The dog (nonmemory the name) was impressive, I dare to say that he was
very similar to my presa Néstor, in color, size, phenotype, everything. To
see that presa was for me all an event (I had not seen another one before).
Salvadorito said, search you a female to put her the dog, these dogs are
already lost, I have not found a female for him. And those puppies that
you have there?, I asked him. No, those no longer are the same thing, the
mother is that Boxer.
A sunday we went (my ex-wife, my children, and me) to have lunch in "Mano
de Hierro" (Iron-Hand), a restaurant of German food property of Don
Carlos, in Santa Brígida (Gran Canaria). Don Carlos was German, a great
cook, and maimed, yes, in World War II lost the left hand, and in the
stump that it had left had coupled a metallic device in hook form with
which he was enough skillful in the kitchen, in the bar, washing dishes,
glass, cups, and others. Don Carlos was a German very amiable, and he
seemed to be always in good mood; in his restaurant the food was very good
and not expensive.
That Sunday we seated at one table near the windows that gave to an
orchard in which Don Carlos cultivated part of the vegetables that used in
the restaurant. And what was my surprise when seeing near the window, tied
to a wood house, a dog presa type, with the "rabo torneado" (turned
tail) as English Bulldogs -in the Canary Islands the "preseros" to that
type of tail we called it and we will following calling it, "rabo
torneado" (turned tail) -. I stood up and went to speak with Don Carlos.
That dog brought me my brother-in-law Francisco, he had all his life presa
dogs, answered me Mano de Hierro, usually comes by here to see his sister,
as he is already retired and he does not have nothing to do, he comes once
in a while and he stay a short while with her, and sometimes also he works
a little in the orchard. I will give you his telephone number and his
address so that you call him and make an appointment.
Two or three days later I called by phone to Francisco Santana, he said me
that no longer there were dogs of presa, but that if I wanted we could see
us, in his own house, yes, better than you come to my house, said me, I am
already retired and little ill, come visit me , and we will speak of presa
dogs. On the following day I went to house of Don Francisco Santana.
Receive me his wife, very amiable, ah!, you are the one of the dogs, my
husband is going to be very happy with your visit, he is mad for the presa
dogs, now is retired, but before always he had presa dogs, come on, come
on , he is in the small living-room.
Don Franciso Santana Santana was seated in a armchair, when seeing me he
stood up and he tended me the hand. I am little ill, he said me, excuse-me
to made you came here, we could seen us in another place, but as I am thus,
sit down, sit down, how is that you are interesting in the presa dogs? Don
Francisco, by his age, amply could have been my father. Listen, there are
no presa dogs, he said me afterwards sit down, that was before, I do not
know why but there are disappear, no longer are seen, now we lived on
another way, everything has changed, nowadays most of people we gained the
life of another way, the likings are others.
While Don Francisco spoke to me I thought that there must be presas in
some place, by the field, in the recondite town. In all ways if you want
that we make a tour by there, since you insists, but I do not believe that
we find nothing. Around one hour later we were in Low Tafira knocking the
door of a house, whose proprietors were related of Don Francisco. The door
opened and appeared a woman. Hello, Francisco, how many time without see
you - the woman saluted to Don Francisco-. No, no longer we have presa
dogs, for years no longer we have been having them. I did not say it to
you?, already nobody have presa dogs, said Francisco Santana to me. Don
Francisco said goodbye to the woman, mounted again in the car and drive
towards Tafira Alta, then to Santa Brígida. We are going to see my sister,
that for two days I have not been seeing her, yes, the dog that has my
brother-in-law I gave it to him, but is not a presa like those of before,
was of a friend who mated a female of Great Dane with a Bulldog. Like I
told you, no longer are presas, before yes they were, I remember to have
had up to seven or eight, males all, for the fight, and to train them I
took them to the field all together, "ensalamados"(with muzzle) -
so that they not fought, I rides in my horse and they all behind, then
roads were not asphalted neither were cars like now, and when it seemed to
me that they had made the sufficient exercise brought them from return
home, then I lived in an house in the field, now no, now we live in an
apartment, as you has seen, in short, everything is different, and to eat
I threw them heads of goat, complete yes, I went to the municipal
slaughter house and by a pair of pesetas they gave me a bag of goat heads,
sometimes were so many that not even made me pay them, then there were
many goats, you know, yes, everything was different, I remember that once
came a gentleman from the Peninsula, from Bilbao, to buy dogs of presa for
the hunting of the wild boar, he was a man of much money, for what he said
me, already in other occasions had taken presas for the hunting of the
wild boar, and he bought me a impressive dog of presa, had an enormous
head, listen, when I threw him a head of goat he catches it in the air ,
chas!!, and while he put it on the floor already had it broken, imagine
you the power that it would have in the jaws, was tremendous, the best
presa than I never had, and the man of Bilbao also took a puppy, son of
that dog.
With stories that told me the old "preseros" were growing in me
the liking (obsessive) by the Presa Canario dogs. A day Javier Cabrera
Perera (friend mine and very aficionado to the dogs) and I went to see a
dog of presa in an old villa little abandoned that was in the right side
in the entrance of Tafira (Gran Canaria). Nonmemory how we know about it.
Javier
lived with his girl friend in Tafira. Perhaps he was who found out that
this presa existed. It was a presa rather short, wide, with a great head,
when noticing our presence came from the bottom of the garden barking
towards us, his barks were deep and cavernous, his eyes dark, his glance
very serious, distrusted, nothing amiable, his color of a dark brown. In
that villa there was nobody. The vision of that presa impacted me. It must
be more presas like this, I said to Javier Cabrera Perera. Another day we
went by Arucas, to see Manolito Alemán the Butcher, who had a presa dog,
and went to meet him, in his house. Manolito Alemán lived in a house to
the outskirts of Arucas. It was at dusk. A woman opened the door, in the
entrance was a species of long patio of cement floor with a beautiful
grape arbor plenty of green pompano. Yes, Manolito is there, Manolito,
look, these boys ask for you. Manolito was speaking in a very friendly way
with Santiaguito Ojeda, the fighter (of canary fight). Manolito said us
that no longer he had presa dogs, a long time ago I bred a litter and one
of the puppies I gave it to a man of... Manolito Alemán said us where
lived the man to whom he had given the puppy of presa, several years ago.
I do not know if that dog will still live, said while said goodbye to us.
The puppy that Manolito Alemán gave to which he put the name Boby was
alive, and I bought him a short while after speaking with Manolito Alemán
in six thousand pesetas, of that time.
In those days we found out Javier Cabrera Perera and me, that a such Juan
Santana Álamo had some presa dog, in Bañaderos, yes, the husband of the
teacher, and to Bañaderos we went to ask for Juan Santana Álamo, the
husband of the teacher. He lives in that house, said us a man of
Bañaderos, go there he must be in the house, I saw him enter just a moment.
We arrived at the house that the man had indicated and we knocked the door,
Juan Santana opened it, I said him that someone had said that he had presa
dogs, he reply that yes, well, presa, presa not, are not like those of
before, those were another thing, but come on , or better we go to the
farm so that you see them, is near here. To the few minutes we were in the
farm of hens that had Juan Santana, at little distance of the sea.
These are my dogs, said to us, that one that is tied on the foot of the
hen house is Canario, and the female must be there, Brava, Brava!! shouted
Juan Santana, and at the moment it appeared a dog of little body and
brindle coat that little she had to do with a presa dog, or with the idea
that I had in my head of a presa dog, Canario was fawn with some white
spot, short, wide, with great head, product of crossing of English Bulldog
with, Great Dane? surely. Brava and Canario were the only dogs of presa of
Juan Santana Álamo, he did not have any more. Then I asked him if it had
thought to breed with them. Brava gave birth recently, said, form Canario,
yes, and the puppies I gave them, a female took a goatherd of Las Tres
Palmas, you know where is las Tres Palmas?, no, then listen, going towards
Santa Maria de Guía, a little before arriving at the Monastery of Valerón
in one of the curves you will see in the left side three great palms, and
one path that go up from the highway towards the house above sees, that
one is, there lives the goatherd to whom I gave the puppy, perhaps he sold
it, or he gave it, because took it by commitment, seems to me that he did
not want it, but took it, say him that you come in my name. We say goodbye
to Juan Santana Álamo and we depart in search of the Three Palms,
contentment, with illusion, we are going to see if the goatherd does not
want the puppy and he sells or gives it to me, I said to Javier Cabrera
Perera. I can make a thing, said Javier, according to which he say I offer
him a puppy of Dobermann of the next litter that Iam going to breed with
Yuma - (Yuma was a Dobermann female ). When we arrived at the Three Palms
we parked the vehicle (a Seat 600, the spanish version of the Fiat 600) in
a reduced space that was in the right side of the highway in direction of
Santa Maria de Guía, we go out of the car and we ascended by the path that
indicated us Juan Santana. When approaching us the house of the goatherd
three mixed dogs of German Shepherd who were tied with chains stood up and
began to bark towards us. At the moment a woman went out the house, and
from behind the trees next to the house the goatherd came towards us, we
said hello and told him that we were in name of Juan Santana, of
Bañaderos.
The goatherd did not know who was Juan Santana, then I said him that Juan
Santana was the one that had given him the puppy of presa. Ah, yes, man,
Juan!, I know him like Juan the husband of the teacher, the puppy, yes,
clear... - the goatherd seemed something disturbed -, Look, she is there
behind those bushes, concretely of the medlar, is under an empty "sereta"
of tomatos -(sereta is box of small dimensions made with laminae of wood
and metallic staples )-, Listen - shouted to his wife- show the puppy to
the boys, and if they want her that they take it. Come this way, said the
woman, come on, she is there, under the sereta, as we do not want it,
because we do not need more dogs, and she does not do more than to bother
and to break everything, we have put her under a sereta with a stone on so
that..., take out the stone, take it out...The poor puppy was famished,
dehydrated, decalcified, how long she could live thus? When the puppy of
presa was free of sereta and stone exit running like a exhalation,
deseperate, in search of something, arrived until a metallic earthenware
bowl with several liters of serum of the cheese elaborated with the milk
of the goats and she jump inside and did not stop to drink until swelled
like a balloon. The small dog was pure nerve, light fawn with white feet,
was precious, she seemed to me precious, I cant believed that, a presa
puppy, mine, I already had a male and a female. Take it, said the woman, I
do not want more dogs here, for the goats with three we have enough,
consider that three dogs eat to much...When we were going to say goodbye
(I with the puppy in arms), the goatherd approached to wish us luck with
the small dog, then Javier Cabrera said him that he had a male and a
female of Dobermann, that if he wanted would give him a puppy when he had
a litter. The goatherd said yes that, it would do him much illusion,
because those dogs were very little seen. To the puppy I put her the name
Piba. Piba always ate like a desperate one and great amount of food, grew
without problems, was very smart, very vivacious, very affectionate, and
very fighter. Boby and Piba, the decision was made, I was going to breed
presa dogs - in that time nobody spoke of Presa Canario, but of dogs of
presa -. the virus of the disease or had lodged in my neurons, and the
name of the disease was "Presitis".
Soon, with time I was realizing of which, as were said to me, no longer
they were presa dogs, of truth presa, all than it had remain was some that
another unit without caste here and there product of very recent crossings.
But one did not finish accepting that reality, for that reason I began to
breed with Boby and Piba, with many illusion and enthusiasm, of course,and
with the absolute conviction that I was going to produce presas of true
quality. Soon I began to consider the urgent necessity to cross with some
foreign breed of presa, English Bulldog, and with Great Dane, and with
which be necessary, so getting to breed similar dogs to those of the past,
to the one of Salvadorito, to the one of Tafira.
Despite the exposed thing, during several years I continued looking for by
the different islands (except in La Palma) presas that could serve me in
my project of breed, but nothing, everything was time, and money, lost. By
abandonment, the old dog of presa of canarias had been extinguished
already. Had no other choice than to initiate his Reconstruction.
Manuel Curtó Gracia
-Irema Curtó Kennels-
Tamay, daughter of Boby x Piba
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