American History
By Michael S Ertaskiran

The Cane Corso in the like its fellow Italian molosan the Neapolitan Mastiff owes its introduction to US shores to the Sottile family. Michael Sottile SR. first brought the breed here in early 1988. Old timer Linda Sannino recalls “Sottile for years while in search of Mastino Neapolitano in Italy had heard stories of a lighter more athletic molosser. He had never seen one but was intrigued by the possibility of its existence”. 

When Sottile first brought this athletic molosser to US shores it was under the name and standard of the “Branchiero Siciliano”. Sottile explains this in the book a celebration of rare breeds by Kathy Flamholtz printed in 1991 “Breed names are apt to be confusing since these dogs have been known variously as Cane Corso, Branchiero Siciliano, Cane Corso di Puglia and Mastino Corso. In Sicily the breed is known as the Branchiero Siciliano, but on the mainland it is known as the Cane Corso. Those working to have the breed officially recognized use the term Cane Corso”. This is an interesting theory considering the modern and rigid definition of what constitutes a breed is markedly different than what was considered a breed 50, 60 or 70 years ago when these terms were employed. In an 2003 interview I conducted with Biologist DR Paolo Breber, the man who originally started the breeds recovery in the early 1970’s and the man responsible for providing the raw material needed to reintroduce the Cane Corso to Italian dog fanciers answered a question about different names associated with the breed “These are just regional expressions for the same dog. I don’t think there is any real difference. I don’t think there is enough to make them different breeds. These are just different expressions in different dialects for this type of dog in the different regions of Italy. The original stock in the 1970’s was found in the province of Foggia and in Bari, which is in Puglia, other dogs were found in Calabria and that’s it. These are the dogs in which all of today’s dogs stem from. They say that there were still a few still in Sicily, but I don’t know if they found them.” (For the purpose of this article I sent DR Breber the above pictures of Bruno and Santino for his opinion of their morphologic characteristics, his response was “The pictures show reasonably nice dogs, sufficiently in type” Interestingly these dogs were originally recognized Internationally in 1976 by the U.C.I. (Union Cinologica Italian) as the Dogo di Puglia (perhaps a play on words of the Cane Corso di Puglia Sottile mentions).  Confusion about what the correct name of a breed is not exclusive to the Cane Corso -the standard for the Neapolitan Mastiff by the Società Amatori del Mastino Napoletano circa 1965 recognized by the ENCI was titled “Il Mastino Napoletano” then below the main name were the (sub) names “ca ne da presa” and “cane corso”. During these early years Sottile made many trips to Italy engaging the likes of Umberto Leone and Ettore Frassinetti.

 

Michael Sottile Sr, his long lost cousin Corrado Bellapianta and the Hodas’

 

Unbelievably, Sottile while in Italy to film the Empoli certifications discovered he had a cousin that he never met before, who bred Cane Corso’s- Corrado Bellapianta. Between 1989/90 the dogs in the states came to be known as Cane Corso’s as well. This coincided with SACC’s recognition of Michael Sottiles CCCA as the American representative.
Because the original Sottile imports were brought to America prior to the Libro Aperto (ENCI open book certifications) in Italy they could not be entered into the ENCI studbook. In the states the breed is not AKC recognized, so registrations and pedigrees fall under the jurisdiction of private registries. Initially the primary registry for the Cane Corso and most other rare breeds in the US was the Federation of International Canines (FIC) owned by Michael and Kathy Sottile. In those years the FIC was the main venue to show the rare breed dog holding many Molossers as well as individual breed specialty shows.

 

Old USNMC rare breed show in Mullica hills NJ in the early 1990’s pictured from left to right Di Guardia’s Prince, Bel Monte Bear, Romans Numero Uno.

 

Not long after it’s introduction the breed gained recognition by all the major rare breed venues such as USNMC, TriStates, ARBA, Rarities, ERBDC, FORB’s,IABCA and States KC. Today the Cane Corso ring is the highest entered and most competitive ring in the American rare breed show circuit.

In the early 1990’s Michael Sottile was beset by a number of personal setbacks causing his work with the Cane Corso take somewhat of a backseat. Upon Sottiles departure from the FIC the Wilson's (Mark and Tracy) and Hodas' (Ed and Kristy) being unhappy with the services provided by FIC broke away and formed the ICCF club and registry.

The ICCF was established as a breed specific organization exclusively for the promotion of the Cane Corso. The ICCF soon became recognized as the pre-eminent Cane Corso organization in this country. The Wilson's and Hodas' soon embarked on improving strained relations between Societa Amatori Cane Corso (SACC) in Italy and the US. All told they made four trips to Italy, while there they managed to video tape many shows and certifications. Many of the top Cane Corso s in America owe their lineage to dogs brought back from Italy by the Wilson's and Hodas'. Then ICCF President Mark Wilson in particular developed an amiable relationship with the SACC; in fact in 1995 the ICCF even adopted the SACC/ENCI standard for a time.
In the book IL Cane Corso, written by Giuseppe Chiecchi & Giorgio Gualtieri 2nd Edition Mark Wilson and the ICCF are recognized as the American contact for the breed replacing Michael Sottile who appeared in that capacity in the first edition of the same book. Soon thereafter for personal reasons the Wilson's left the ICCF. After the departure of the Wilson's the ICCF was reorganized. The club and registry where separated with the club drafting new by-laws and code of ethics modeled after the AKC. Executive and Directors board positions where established in addition to the naming of Regional Vice-presidents throughout out the country. After the departure of the Wilson’s Lee Hodges assumed the Presidency of the ICCF. Many in America were unhappy with being force fed the SACC standard; they felt that this new standard did not accurately depict the reality or historical parameters of the breed, particularly in regard to bite and size. In 1996 MR Hodges did what his constituency wanted him to do, break ties with the SACC. In retrospect the association of the two pre-eminent Cane Corso clubs in the world was short lived and fruitless.

From 1996 until 1998 the American passionate employed an isolationist policy toward the rest of the Cane Corso world. Missing out on important events in the breed’s history such as the FCI’s recognition and participation in the world show. This isolationist policy hurt the American passionate in many ways as the newer passionates were deprived of valuable information regarding the breeds history, morphology and temperament. As members of the old guard eventually left the breed there was a vacuum created as they took their knowledge and experiences with them. Precious few remained who had any real knowledge of the breed consequently the new breeders were left directionless. What little information did filter out of Italy was often incorrect and biased against the dogs already in America as it was mostly provided by those with ulterior motives. Many had a vested interest in trafficking import puppies to the American market. While various clubs and incarnations of SACC USA tried during this time to establish a foothold in the states they usually petered out rather quickly.

In 1998 a new light shined on the Cane Corso in America as a newly formed club in Italy the Association of Italian Cane Corso (AICC) reaches out to the American passionate through the ICCF. Then Vice President Renzo Carosio writes the ICCF to introduce this new club and to open a dialog between the two organizations. The results of this new relationship bears fruit immediately as in August 1999 the ICCF assembles a committee to explore to possibility of or the necessity of making revisions to the ICCF standard, the committee consists of ICCF President Michael Ertaskiran, Vice-President Derek Matson, Secretary Melissa Harvey, Registrar Ed Hodas, and Public Relations Officer Steve Nash. In March of 2000 the revisions to the ICCF Standard are complete and distributed to its membership via the ICCF Quarterly newsletter and the clubs website www.canecorso.org. The revisions bring the American version more in line with the International standard in terms facio-canial axis of the skull, preferred bite and color patterns.

   

Renzo Carosio gives a breed seminar in New Jersey.

 

In June of 2000 a delegation of AICC board members (now AICC president Renzo Carosio and vice president Gian Carlo Ruggieri) attend the ICCF National Specialty in Washington DC. The following October a delegation of ICCF board members visit Italy on the invitation of Mr. Carosio . The significance of this visit is obvious for a number of reasons; AICC arranges a meeting between the ICCF delegation and ENCI Director Giani to discuss the state of the Cane Corso breed in the United States and its possible future in the International community. It marks the first time that the Presidents of the three major Cane Corso clubs (AICC, ICCF, CCCN) are gathered together. The first ever T.A.N. test are administered to Cane Corso’s in order to gauge their herding instincts. In October the ICCF returns the favor and brings Mr. Carosio to America to judge a Regional Specialty in New Jersey, conduct judges and breeder’s seminars and give out written critiques of corsi presented to him.
In 2001 the ICCF endured a major shake up in its executive board over the direction the breed club would take in the future. Unfortunately this shake up would ultimately threaten the bond between the ICCF and the AICC after a year or so of a somewhat politically motivated strained relationship these two clubs began to repair their damaged bond. This reconciliation was inevitable since both clubs share a common vision of what the breed is. Soon after assuming the Presidency of the ICCF Keith LeTournue initiates a closer movement of the ICCF standard toward that of its European counterpart. President LeTournue, board members Michael Ertaskiran, Ed Hodas and rare breed judge Steve Nash are entrusted with the assignment.
In April of 2003 AICC President Renzo Carosio makes an unprecedented request,he extends an invitation to American bred Cane Corso’s to participate in the 10th annual AICC International show in Rome. President Carosio stated ICCF and ARBA champions would be recognized and able to compete in the champion class at this show. Finally President Carosio submitted a list of three candidates to ICCF President Le Tournue for consideration to judge at this very important show. The list consisted of Michael Ertaskiran, Ed Hodas and Steve Nash. Michael Ertaskiran was selected and accepted the assignment.

In June of 2003 the ICCF board voted to officially recognize the AICC as the parent breed club in Italy. In the fall of 2003 changes to the ICCF standard are complete.

 

Concerns arise over several points of the standard. In a board meeting on November the subject of the standard is brought up, all board members in attendance vote to instead of having an “ICCF” standard to adopt the newly minted “Standard for the Cane Corso 2003” which our partners the AICC have adopted. This standard reflects corrections to the FCI standard 343 for the Cane Corso. These corrections coincide historically and ichnographically with the breed utilizations in the rural Italian country side.

Today the ICCF is actively seeking AKC recognition for the breed, when this comes to pass there will be another bridge built between these two “varieties” of the breed, the pedigrees will then be reciprocal and American dogs will then be free to compete on an International stage with its Italian brethren.

Epilogue;

I originally wrote this article in 2004 for Molossarword website, a great deal has transpired since then. The Cane Corso is as of 6/30/10 an officially recognized breed in the AKC’s working group. The ICCF club is now the Cane Corso Association of America (CCAA) and it is recognized by the AKC as the official parent breed club for the Cane Corso.  The breed in this country has yet another standard-this time it is the AKC standard. Instead of the Cane Corso Preservation Society there is now SACCI. The SACCI is a UKC breed club that follows the FCI 343 standard. After a short lived rivalry the SACCI and CCAA are enjoying a mutually beneficial relationship and have pledged to work together for the future best interest of the breed. The AICC in Italy has diminished markedly and the SACC is once again entrusted with the guardianship of the breed in its country of origin. However, the AICC’s contribution to the breed is the Cane Corso Standard 2003, which still endures and is considered by many to be the most complete and accurate standard in the world. I am happy to say that since 2006 I am once again the President of the CCAA and the club is definitely moving in a positive direction. During my administration we have endured some challenging days to say the least, from election disasters to growing pains with the new constitution. However I see a bright horizon for the Cane Corso in the future.

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