THE NINTH COMMANDMENT
by Clelia Kruel

I just finished reading the book: El Gran Libro del Fila Brasileno by Mrs. Ines van Damme, Tikal Ediciones, Madrid, 2000, soft back, 407 pages. The title seemed familiar to me as Prof. Procopio do Valle and Mr. Enio Monte had already published a book about the Fila Brasileiro back in 1981, Editora Nobel, with exactly the same title in Portuguese: O Grande Livro do Fila Brasileiro.
I enjoyed some stories and the pictures but I failed to understand why should it be a perfect Cafib propaganda book trying to wash your brain by constant repetitions against the black and dark brindle colors in the breed, instead of being a source of information. Some chapters about European Kennels are valuable for people interested in the expansion of the Fila Brasileiro in Europe, though it is tinted by this constant obsession of the author bashing Kennels who do not follow Cafib standard.
The author keeps repeating like a broken record that true Filas, authentic Filas, exist only in Spain and in some kennels of Minas Gerais plus that 80% of the Brazilian Filas are mongrels... but never showing any proof or evidence of the fact, neither explaining how the miracle of keeping some “pure, authentic Cafib Filas”happened. She also keeps repeating that mixers ruined the breed in 1974 forgetting to mention what happened in Minas Gerais way back before the 50's and 30's. I will provide you a little. ahead statements of breeders with proper names, places and dates. A half true is misleading and the author of this book seems to be and expert in misleading information maybe because the three trips she made to Brazil didn't give her enough time to collect the whole story, specially about the “authentic Filas” from Minas Gerais. In her opinion breeders from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states were leaders in miscegenation during 1974, forgetting that Sao Paulo is the base of Cafib, and the home of Parnapuan Kennel which she praises so much. Actually she does not know anything about pedigrees, otherwise she would know that Camping dogs come directly from Samor and Parnapuan lines, starting with Fera do Parnapuan, a female from Pedrinho do Engenho Ranch (Minas Gerais). With no knowledge of what she is talking about she places a picture of Antares do Camping at page 199 with the text: “Exemplar que muestra la influencia del Mastim Napolitano”!
From where could she get the idea that the traditional Sampaio Moreira family or the owner of Parnapuan Kennel would mix Filas with Neapolitan Mastiffs? Certainly this supposed mix was not introduced in the last twenty four years that I have been preserving the breed and with a line breeding technique which resulted in champions year after year, since l977 in Camping Kennel. Selecting Filas has always been my passion and I only exported the best to the United States, inclusive the two first Brazilian champions coming from Brazil: Ch. Artemis do Igarapaua and Ch. Aretuza do Tibaita (both certified ofa good). In order to preserve only sound Filas, I was the first Fila breeder in Brazil to x-ray my stock in 1983 to avoid the plague of hip dysplasia. Cafib people never did it. They just did not care and the results of their omission brought have losses to the German breeders who imported Fazenda da Carolina dysplasic dogs. Here in the States the same happened with Fazenda da Carolina and Tres Curumins imports. Coming back to page 199, you can see that the name of the owner of Antares is omitted in her publication. The current owner and the former owner, in which home the picture was taken, never gave authorization to Mrs. van Damme to publish that picture. Interesting is also to note that at page 209 the author does not mention the evident influence of Great Danes in dogs coming from Minas Gerais. Some exports of these dogs were made in the 50's, when the standard of the breed had been already written, with the help of the expert who sold them. So, Dr. Santos Cruz knew how to recognize a pure Fila at that date, though he declared later own that he did not.
Three men were selected to write the first Fila Brasileiro standard, because of their knowledge on the breed and Dr. Paulo Santos Cruz was one of them. He used to fly to Minas Gerais and bring dogs in his a small airplane to sell them in his hometown of Santos through ads in local newspapers. At least, this part of history was told in Mrs. van Damme's book. Further at page 301 the author writes about the “bad quality of American Filas” which she never saw Americans have the most sophisticated canine institutions of the world, and they do their home work before getting into the breed. American Fila breeders know about the importance of genetics and of reading pedigrees. They know about the genes B that always existed in the English Mastiff, ancient Bulldog and Bloodhound. It cannot just vanish from the Fila Brasileiro, as cafibians would like it to happen. They are aware that mixers always existed around the world, in Europe, States or Minas Gerais, even before 1974, and that puppy mills have a great facility to fraud pedigrees. Who is naive? Americans know when their dogs live up the official FCI standard or not. Knowledgeable judges coming from Brazil for the FBA Fall Circuit were surprised at the high quality of the American Filas. They are larger and heavier due to the special food and supplement that Americans give to their dogs. No wonder American Filas won BOB in World Championships in Switzerland, 2nd place in Argentina, BOB in Hungary, 3rd and 4nd placements in Mexico. Obviously Cafib has no place in America because this is a country where the black color is very popular.
The American passion for the Fila equals to the passion of Brazilians for their national breed, with the difference that most Americans keep their Filas inside their homes and treat them as if they were their own children. With few exceptions interested only in economic game, most breeders own only a few Filas like myself. Currently I have just eight Filas, being Saci the oldest one. They are selected Filas, as I would not keep trash after breeding for over 24 consecutive years having champions every year. Antares do Camping is a product of Saci do Camping and Basra da Fazenda do Indomito, both hip dysplasia free, and ofa certified, both with excellent sharp temperament. Antares is aggressive when it comes to protect his family or his territory. Here are some of his characteristics , for those who do not know the differences between a Neapolitan Mastiff and a Fila Brasileiro dog:

As you can see Antares fits perfect well the Fila Brasileiro official standard of the breed, including the very sharp and protective temperament. Remember the 9 Th Commandment : “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor”. This is the reason I did not point out my finger at any possible mixers, as the author wants me to do, as written in page 300 of her book. If there were mixers in S. Paulo and Rio, what about the mixers from Minas Gerais? Fila breeders in Minas Gerais were the very first ones to mix Filas with hound dogs, Boxers and Great Danes, but Cafib people insist in accusing only breeders from S. Paulo and Rio. There has never been an iron curtain separating one state from another, neither fences around the ranches in Brazil. The Filas would cross freely with other breeds that existed in the ranches, and even with wild dogs. This shows how strong the basic characteristics of the Fila Brasileiro are. The breed survived constant crossings during 300 or 400 years. I have been selecting the so called “pure and authentic Filas”, as the author likes to say, for over 24 consecutive years, in accordance with the official standard of the breed, nevertheless I would not be surprised if in some litter a puppy shows up with a bulldog tail or with an undershot bite. These may be the ancestors genes popping out (atavism), just like the gene B for the black color. I can observe the black color in pedigrees, going back to l946, with initial registrations from Filas brought from Minas Gerais. The black list Mrs. van Damme published, the same one from l979, is a joke. It lists Nubia de Samor, an excellent Fila in all senses. Her pedigree shows that she is half Samor and half Parnapuan, coming directly from Uri and Ela de Parnapuan. My first stud was the incredible most condecorated Fila of his time: Gr.Intl.Ch., South Am. Ch., National Ranking Winner in 1980, Orixa do Kirongozi. Dr. Paulo Santos Cruz himself judged him for three times and for three times gave him the Best of Breed. Some time later he called him a “mongrel”.... I judged Orixa myself one time and I also gave him the Best of Breed. He had no faults, plus a terrific movement and a sharp temperament, but very well controlled. Nevertheless, some blind cafibians placed him in that destructive black list. No one cares about the 9th. commandment. Who is going to believe in cafibians after that? It is right to preserve the breed but not to drag to gaz chambers excellent Filas based on suppositions. Fanatics never prevailed and Cafib is in coma in Brazil.
When Mrs. van Damme states in page l47 that “fuera del standard del fila puro estan” and gives a long list, in which are included dogs like Cacibe dos Pampas (Trinity) and Arariboia, who actually are the ancestors of Boa Sorte dogs, she is spiting on her own plate. I cannot imagine why she uses dogs who got only two generations in their pedigrees. How can she accuse anyone if some of her dogs got only a Secondary Registration which unfortunately is allowed by CBKC? This cafibian paranoia about dark brindles and black Filas is based on false information. They always existed in Minas Gerais and other states of Brazil. In accordance with Enio Monte and Prof. do Valle, who got statements from reliable breeders, in the 50''s there was a ranch in Minas Gerais called Morro Grande, located in Varginha, owned by Coronel Antonio Mariano dos Reis, Besides fawns and brindles, Mr. Reis also has a whole line of black Filas. The Reis family, together with Jose Gomes de Oliveira, were the greatest Fila breeders during the 40's and 50's in Minas Gerais. Renato Ribeiro Reis started to breed Filas in l948. He used to tell that the Fila that most impressed him was Nero, a black Fila from Morro Grande ranch.
Still in the book of Prof. Procopio do Valle and Mr. Enio Monte, we read: Jose Gomes de Oliveira, from Varginha, MG, was the breeder that furnish the greatest quantity of Filas to Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte. His dogs were yellow and brindles, were large, with have heavy heads, lots of dewlaps and excellent temperament, though some of them showed a lot of influence of Great Danes.
Jose Rezende Paiva was the breeder that preserved the last bloodlines of Reis and Jose Gomes de Oliveira's Filas. As he was in need of cattle drovers, and he found the Filas too heavy for the work, he crossed his stock with “German Boxers”, and declared that he was pleased with the new product he got. Another breeder from the 50's was Pedro Ribeiro Junqueira de Souza, of Fazenda do Engenho, in Silvestre Ferraz, currently Carmo de Minas and Sao Lourenco. He started to breed Filas in 1920 with Filas brought from Cristina, near Itajuba, by his brother in law. He selected two different lines: one dark brindle, which sometimes produced gray and blue colors of medium size, very strong with massive heads and lots of dewlaps. The other one was of very large yellow dogs with plenty of dewlaps.From this yellow color line, Dr. Paulo Santos Cruz got a female registered in 1958 under the name of Fera do Parnapuan (BKC register No 16785) which bred to the famous Tamoyo de Parnapuan brought from Conselheiro Lafayete, gave birth on April 23, 1959 to one of the best Parnapuan litters due to their uniformity, size and beauty, in accordance to Mrs.Antonieta Santos Cruz. In this litter was the famous Orixa de Parnapuan, very heavy, 79 cm (31 inches) weighing 94 Kg ( 188 lbs ) besides another nine siblings, among them the black Fila Ogum de Parnapuan, who was kept by Dr. Santos Cruz for reproduction. Unfortunately this dog died at an early age. By the way, as I have already mentioned, Fera de Parnapuan is one of Camping dogs ancestor. Another well know breeder having Filas from the Sao Francisco valley was Joao Accioli from Tapiocanga Kennel (1949). It has been recorded that his family, Martins Soares, owned Filas since the end of 1.800 in Neopolis, at the Fazenda Varzea Nova and Engenho Cadoz. They were called “cabecudos” at that time. Later on, the family and dogs moved to the state of Goias. Mr. Accioli theory is that the “cabecudos” were introduced by the legendary “Bandeirantes” (from Sao Paulo) in Goias. “Bandeirantes” were explorers from Sao Paulo traveling through the wild country looking for slaves, gold and diamonds, opening new frontiers and starting settlements in inhabited areas from Brazil. They were in need of Filas during their long expeditions in order to catch Indians and to protect their mules from jaguars. Mr. Accioli tells that Caixeta family was also a great source of Filas between Pires do Rio and Orizona. They were dark brindles in his majority. In 1923 Mr. Accioli saw yellow and black Filas in the ranch owned by the Goncalves family. The dog that most impressed him was Chibante, a large dog with a very massive head, black with white owned by Mr. Manoel Goncalves. He tells a story about Chibante bringing down a furious bull that refused to enter the corral threatening the ranchers's lives. Chibante was also the pack leader and chief guardian of the ranch. He marked his territory in a triangle: Main house, yard and corral. He would not follow the ranchers when traveling with cattle. This work was done by the “atravessados”, mixed Filas with hound dogs, who were lighter and preferable for long distances. Mr. Accioli started his kennel with dogs from Santa Cruz, Goias, and his best dog was Protetor de Tapiocanga, a brindle with white chest and green eyes, registered under KCP # 1585 on January 15, 1952. This dog had excellent litters, very aggressive, some of them black, with white chest and brown patches. He closed his kennel in 1971.
Samor Line (1920):
Mr. Gumercindo Saraiva, manager of the Sampaio Moreira ranch in Cajuru, in the hinterland of Sao Paulo state, bought his first Filas from Meirelles family in Campinas, around 1920. They were dark brindle and also black. Later on he added to his stock Filas from Guaxupe and Varginha, South of Minas Gerais. His best dog was Thor de Samor, an excellent brindle, with a white collar, very strong, and with sharp temperament. Thor de Samor was the father of the famous solid coal black female Xita do ABC which, became Penta Brazilian Champion (five times champion) owned by Samor Kennel. I was glad to read at page 280 that Mrs. van Damme considers Uruce de Kirimaua with a “pedigri impecable”. Uruce is a daughter from Temporal de Kirimaua x Amazona de Agua Boa. Temporal belongs to Prof Procopio do Valle who bred excellent black Filas. Mr. Jaime Hernantes, owner of El Regato de Subiria Kennel from Spain, bought Uruce de Kirimaua and bred her to Cacique de Itavuvu ( a son of the Gr. Int. Ch. National ranking winner in 1981 Alferes do Camping de Sorocaba) imported from Brazil by German judge Roswita Ketelhon, who kept two puppies from this litter. The male Aquila del Regato de Subiria won the World Championship of Dortmund in 1991. I wish to point out that Alferes do Camping de Sorocaba, sire of Caramuru de Itavuvu, had the following parents: Sire: Gr. Int. Ch. S.Am. Ch. and of National ranking winner in 1980, Orixa do Kirongosi, and dam Nubia de Samor, both listed in Cafib's black list...
At page 266 you may read that Dartagnan da Zagaia Verde (sired by Gr. Int. Ch. National Ranking Winner in 1981Alferes do Camping de Sorocaba x Agata da Lagoa do Jaburu) was the first Fila to be introduced in France by Mrs. Ledroux, who also introduced Zagaia Verde bloodline in Spain. French judge Mr. Christian Delmas imported Estrela de Tamuana (sire Destemido do Camping x Tunisia do Rodrigues) born in 1988. Estrela became a champion in France. Fripon da Zagaia Verde, a very important reproducer in Spain, comes from Apache do Planalto Central whose parents were: Impala II do ABC and Uganda do Kirongosi. If Mrs. van Damme could spend some more time in Rio de Janeiro looking at pedigrees, she would find out many other “authentic” Cafib approved Filas coming out from dogs mentioned in her black list. Cacib dos Pampas (Trinity) shows up in a good part of Boa Sorte kennel pedigrees. Ch. Elo da Boa Sorte comes from Orixa II do ABC. Hur dos Pampas, Bororo do ABC, Impala do ABC and Rubi do ABC... Others so called “pure Cafib Filas” as Castor de Tamakavi, was sired by Jacu do ABC x Conchita do Itacolomi, having Apache de Sta. Olimpia, Guaira das Sete Barras (this female bred by Joao Batista Gomes, Sete Barras Kennel), Parrudo do Guarany and Fronteira do ABC in his pedigree. Apache de Sta Olimpia shows up in both Cafib and CBKC bloodlines such as Jirua de Muqui and Boa Sorte kennels. Together with Duna, a black bitch, he produced Pemba do Kirongosi. We see over and over again ABC bloodline mixed in cafibians pedigrees, but Mrs. van Damme seems not to be aware of this fact. She also seems to ignore the fact that Mr. Peltier de Queiroz was the owner of a dog called Dumas dos Pampas, son of Arariboia, and that Mr. Queiroz used Dumas dos Pampas in his kennel called CAFIBRA producing the dog Idi Amin Dada da Cafibra, grandson of Arariboia. Curiously these dogs Dumas dos Pampas and Amim Dada da Cafibra (both of Mr. Queiroz) did not enter in the Cafib black list. Looking at the pedigree of Itamar da Princesa d'Oeste (father of Nagan do Amparo) you will find the famous Balaio da Fazenda Poco Vermelho, son of Antar de Samor which was a son of the legendary solid coal black female Xita do ABC, five times National Champion in Brazil.
Mrs. van Damme seems to ignore again the pedigrees and ancestors of her Kennel Los Tres Naranjos, Acaboclado, Sao Fila Kennel and others in Spain that used and still continue to use descendants of Nagan do Amparo, Castor de Tamakavi and Boa Sorte dogs. The same occurs in Germany with Tres Curumins and Fazenda Carolina kennels, both having the same bloodline of Castor de Tamakavi, Balaio da Fazenda Poco Vermelho, Antar de Samor, and Xita do ABC.
ABC line (1906)
This certainly was one of the most important lines of the Fila Brasileiro history. ABC is responsible for very famous champions not only in Brazil but also in Europe and in the United States. Monte family started their kennel in 1906 with dogs brought from ranchers of Sorocaba, Sao Paulo state. In 1920 they acquired and brought to Ipiranga district, where they had their textile industry, a large black Fila with white on the chest to be the guardian of their property. In 1934 they brought in yellow and brindle Filas. In 1939 they started a new line of yellow dogs without black mask, short and wide, with visible influence of boxers and bulldogs. Not satisfied with this line, finally, with the help of the Fila breeder Mr. Lemos de Franca, they acquired a pair (Sansao and Dalila) from Sao Joao da Gloria, close to Passos do Sul in Minas Gerais. They were yellow, medium seized, with black masks, with massive heads and good angulations. Later on he still added to his kennel dogs coming from Jose Alencar dos Reis, Fazenda Morro Grande, and from Jose Gomes de Oliveira, all from Minas Gerais. In those farms they were many fox hounds, and he noted that some of the dogs brought from Minas Gerais presented the influence of hounds, with white chests and long muzzles. Only through the years he succeeded in fixing a better type more on the Mastiff side, eliminating small heads and patched dogs.
The most important blood lines from his kennel were it:
A) Orixa de Parnapuan (1959) coming from Conselheiro Lafaiate and Carmo de Minas, Orixa had an excellent stable temperament. He was the Pilar of ABC kennel. His best offspring was Bororo do ABC (1974), excellent reproducer, who imprinted the massive head, lots of dewlaps and excellent temperament in his descendants. Bororo was half Mandaqui line.
B) Lambare do Guassu de Parnapuan _ This dog had a height of 80 cm, was long and some what leggish. Mr. Monte used this dog though he was not very satisfied with the temperament of some of his offsprings. This dog was the only remainder of Parnapuan kennel after a leptospirosis plague dizimated Dr. Paulo Santos Cruz kennel who had to start it all over again with dark brindles females given by Dr. Gregori Warchawchic and a male nicknamed Acaraje, from Fazenda do Engenho, Minas Gerais, registered under the name of Tigre de Araruama. His offsprings transmitted a lot of white.
C) Jaca de Itapecerica _ This line also transmitted a lot of white, therefore the dog was given to Mr. Mirtho Amaral. From his descendants became the famous Guacu do Cruzeiro do Sul, dark brindle, almost black (grandfather of the Gr. Ch. Delicado da Fazenda Poco Vermelho). Guapo do Cruzeiro do Sul was white with brindle patches, owned by Mr. Osny Morais Pinto and Luiz Bartuneck. Both dogs were produced by a brindle small female, with some Boxer influence which came from Guaxupe, Minas Gerais.
Albatroz do ABC, also white with brindle patches, one of the most aggressive Filas ever known was used by Dr. Antenor Lara Campos, from Km 26, Estrada do Eldorado, Ilha do Sabia Kennel. Mr. Lara Campos told Mr. Enio Monte that his grandfather Joaquim Pizza, had already Filas in 1910 as guardians of his property. His father also had Filas in Fazenda da Garca, originated from Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo. They were strong, wide, with heavy heads, yellow or brindles with a black mask, and some of them had a blaze. Lara Campos started his own kennel in 1940 in the Haras Riachuelo in Cotia, Sao Paulo, and registered his kennel in 1958 under the name Ilha do Sabia to where he moved in and had over 100 Filas. His best female was Brahma do ABC. Another very nice champion owned by Marilia Barroso Pentagna was Elo da Boa Sorte, coming out from Orixa II do ABC, having Bororo do ABC and Impala do ABC as his great-grandparents, besides Rubi do ABC and Arariboia at the mothers side. It is ridiculous to say that only Cafib dogs are pure, once they come out from the same old ABC breeding stock. Anyone having a collection of old pedigrees can verify it.
CRUZEIRO DO SUL KENNEL (1966)
Mr. Morais Pinto started it with a female brought from Guaxupe, Minas Gerais, called Guaira (with initial registration BKC/KCP-22668). She was brindle, small, but strong. Together with Juca de Itapecirica, she produced the famous Guacu do Cruzeiro do Sul (BKC/KCP-23054), 70 cm heigh, weighing 73 Kg. From this line descends the National Champion Hudson of Bras Dog, who shows up in Orca, Xavante, Baiana, Vereda, Juriti, Hunno, Fumaca, and Aroeira do Boa Sorte pedigrees. Besides this, the pedigree of Raio de Paraibuna,( breeder is Cel. Arthur Jose Walter Verlangieri, owner of Paraibuna Kennel in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, founder of CMCFB -Clube Mineiro dos Criadores de Fila Brasileiro), shows Hudson of Bras Dog (paulista line) as sire of Raio, Ras, Rainha, Riga, Recruta, and Reiuna de Paraibuna. Paraibuna kennel was a traditional “mineiro kennel” located in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, who extensively used “paulista” lines from Bras Dog, Cruzeiro do Sul, Guapore-Acu, and Itacolomi kennels.
At page 189 under the title “Colores permitidas por el standard de la FCI”, Mrs. van Damme includes the grey colors (ceniza claro, ceniza prateado), when actually in order languages, “ash”, “grey”, “cinza”, this color is not permitted. Maybe there has been a confusion made with the colors “champagne” and “vinegar” which are permitted under the classification of fawn, not grey. Also, Mrs. van Damme a continuously keeps repeating that black or dark brindles are not permitted by Cafib.
She should keep repeating that black and dark brindles are permitted by the official FCI standard. Brindles having a basic color being the stripes either of less intensity or with very long stripes. When you have a black dog with only one yellow stripe, he is considered a dark brindle, not a solid black one. At page 139 the author writes: “La Confederacao Brasil Kennel Club no se preocupaba de limpiar su propio establo, al contrario, seguia con los ataques a los “disidentes” del Cafib”. I have to say that “the stable” where Mr. Paulo Roberto Godinho (who wrote the prologue of Mrs. van Damme book soaked with Cafib propaganda) is homologated as a judge, will look at the same regulations that suspended judge Christopher Habig from judging in Brazil. No CBKC/FCI judge is allowed to promote a dissident club and Mr. Godinho is openly a declared Cafib follower. “The stable” has a disciplinary and ethical council that will take care of Mr. Godinho soon.