Lobito Herreño

The Lobito Herreño or Perro de Pastor Herreño is a Spanish breed or type of pastoral dog. It is found mostly on the island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands, but also on Gran Canaria, La Palma and Tenerife.[1] It is not recognised as breed by the Real Sociedad Canina de España, but in 2021 was one of three breeds or types listed as a grupo étnico canino,[2] which the society defines as a regional dog population with consistent form and function evolved through functional selection.[3] The other two dogs in this group are the Podenco Orito Español and the Carea Castellano-Manchego.[2]

Lobito Herreño
Other names
  • Lobo Herreño
  • Perro de Pastor Herreño
OriginEl Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain
Breed statusNot recognised as a breed by any major kennel club.
Traits
Height Males 54 cm[1]
Females 52 cm[1]
Weight Males 22 kg[1]
Females 18 kg[1]
Coat short, thicker in winter
Colour usually grey, also reddish, both with pale mask; white or cream permitted[1]
Noteslisted among Grupos Étnicos Caninos by the Real Sociedad Canina de España[2]
Dog (domestic dog)
Bitch on El Hierro

The society published a draft breed standard for the Lobito Herreño in 2013.[1] The breed society is the Asociación para la Recuperación del Perro Lobo Herreño.[2]

History

It is not clear whether or to what extent the modern dogs of the Canary Islands derive from dogs already present in the islands before the arrival of the Castilian conquistadores at the start of the fifteenth century.[4] The origins of the Lobito Herreño are unknown; it is suggested that it derives from dogs brought to the archipelago in or after the eighteenth century.[1][5]: 433  In 2013 the Real Sociedad Canina de España included it on its list of grupos étnicos caninos,[6] which the society defines as a regional dog population with consistent form and function evolved through functional selection;[3] in the same year it published a draft breed standard.[1]

In 2021 the Parliament of the Canary Islands passed a resolution declaring the principal indigenous animal breeds of the islands to be a "cultural, genetic and ethnographic heritage". The text of the resolution included the four internationally-recognised dog breeds of the islands – the Pastor Garafiano, the Perro Majorero, the Presa Canario and the Podenco Canario – but not the Lobito Herreño, although this had been discussed in Parliament.[7][8][9]

The Lobito is not the only breed for which recognition is being sought in the Canaries; others are the Podenco Enano, also of El Hierro, and the Ratonero Palmero of La Palma.[4]

Characteristics

The Lobito Herreño is of wolf-like and primitive appearance. It is of medium size, with a height at the withers of some 52–54 cm and weight in the range 18–22 kg according to the draft breed standard.[1] A study in 2009 of fifty-five animals on El Hierro found average heights and weights of 52.6 cm/21.1 kg for bitches and 54.7 cm/21.9 kg for dogs.[10]: 12  The coat is usually grey but may also be reddish, both colours with pale masking round the mouth and eyes; solid white or cream is also permitted, these colours without masking. The tip of the tail is black.[1]

Use

Like other pastoral dogs, it was traditionally used to assist the shepherd with the movement and management of the flock, and was suspicious of strangers but faithful to its master.[1] With the disappearance of the pastoral way of life, it is increasingly kept as a companion dog.[10]: 14 

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lobo Herreño.
  1. Patrón Racial del Lobito Herreño: Perro De Pastor Herreño: Proyecto de Estándar (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 17 July 2013.
  2. Grupos Étnicos Caninos (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 6 August 2021.
  3. Reglamento de Grupos Étnicos Caninos (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 6 August 2021.
  4. E. D. (30 May 2021). Tierra de canes (in Spanish). Tenerife: El Día. Accessed November 2021.
  5. N.M. Surez, E. Betancor, R. Fregel, J. Pestano (2013). Genetic Characterization, at the Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA Levels, of Five Canary Island Dog Breeds. Animal Genetics. 44 (4): 432–441. doi:10.1111/age.12024. (subscription required).
  6. Grupos Étnicos Caninos (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 11 July 2013.
  7. Proposiciones no de ley en pleno: Resoluciones aprobadas: 10L/PNLP-0231 Sobre razas autóctonas (in Spanish). Parlamento de Canarias: Boletín Oficial. 2021 (204, 4 May). Accessed November 2021.
  8. Diario de Sesiones 73/2021, de fecha 14/4/2021 - Punto 5 (in Spanish). Parlamento de Canarias: Diario de Sesiones. Accessed November 2021.
  9. [staff] (31 May 2021). Piden declarar las razas caninas autóctonas Patrimonio Cultural e Histórico de España (in Spanish). Diario Veterinario. Accessed November 2021.
  10. Antonio Morales De La Nuez, Leticia Hernández Martínez, Noemí Castro Navarro, Juan Francisco Capote Álvarez, Anastasio Argüello Henríquez (2009). Estudio morfométrico del Lobo Herreño (in Spanish). Pequeños Rumiantes. 10 (3): 12–14. Seville: Sociedad Española de Ovinotecnia y Caprinotecnia. ISSN 1888-4865.
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