Italia 2003

  Thanks to Janet Gigante my flight went by very quickly. Janet was nice enough to give me a translated copy of Stefano Gandolfi’s “Il Cane Corso” I had a few chapters translated on my own in the past but having the advantage the book in it’s entirety proved an interesting read. I could not have asked for a timelier gift as much of what I read could be directly applied to my upcoming interview with DR Paolo Breber.

            Upon landing in Rome I was slapped in the face with the suffocating heat that was engulfing all of Italy. Renzo Carosio warned me ahead of time but I didn’t expect sauna like conditions. The second challenge that I faced was in contacting my good friend Renzo. It seems in my haste out too the airport that I must have copied the wrong phone numbers. I planned on renting a car and staying in Rome the first night so this complication did not alter my plans. After renting a car and trying to re-acquaint myself with a manual shift (I reserved an automatic but it seems they did not have any available) in the middle of Roman rush hour traffic in a driving rain. For the record it’s been 17 years since I last drove a stick. After my adventure on the autostrade I rented a hotel on the outskirts of Rome and retired for the night.

            The following morning I was still not having much luck locating the elusive Carosio, so I decided to head for the meridone (south) Foggia specifically, to meet with DR. Breber. During my drive south much to my dismay I learned the “Autogrills” that formerly lined the autostrade were being replaced by of all things McDonalds. The panini and rustico sandwiches that I loved were being replaced by big macs and quarter pounders with cheese.

            I met DR Breber Thursday early evening in Manfredonia; I gave him a ride back to his apartment in Lesina. During the drive we had a lively discussion on the breed-its recovery and the direction it has taken in recent years. Without realizing I had started a kind of pre-interview with him during our little chat, which I planned on expanding upon in our later discussions. Brebers recollections contradict many events written about in Gandolfi’s tome. An example would be Gandolfi’s claims the Bonnetti and Ballota provided direction to him during the recovery, this elicited a very animated response from Breber “these were by contacts, nobody else spoke to them but me. I still have the letters” Our conversations covered a wide range of Corso related topics, from Dauno who he described as a strongly constructed dog with a scissor bite, to coat length, eye color and of course the correct bite for the breed. Many of DR Brebers views are diametrically opposed to what has become conventional wisdom surrounding the breed. I can’t say I agree with everything he say’s but he was there (he started the breeds recovery) and I wasn’t, so to discount his point of view would be foolish. By the time we arrived in Lesina it was already late and DR Breber had dinner plans with some old friends, so we agreed to meet in the morning. After a somewhat restless nights sleep I met DR Breber bright and early, the interview went well-he had some fascinating points of view. *You can read the interview in its entirety by clicking “Paolo Breber Interview” link on this site. I came away from the interview with the impression that DR Breber subscribes to the theory that form follows function. Meaning more important than head to muzzle ratio and angles was whether the dog could actually perform the tasks he was bred to do, and that would dictate the dog’s morphology. In subsequent discussions I mentioned some points of the FCI standard that I had issues with like the “slightly protruding eyes” or the higher hock set. His response was strongly voiced, “this makes no sense what so ever, how could this be?” After the interview the good doctor asked me if I would like to see a dog he felt was representive of the old style. He told me of a man named Michele Bocci who had a dog named “Campagno” Breber went on to say “when you see this dog you see the old style Cane Corso, the way they were when he discovered them in the early 1970’s” Breber told me that Mr. Bocci still used this dog to help on the farm in the traditional ways. During the ride DR Breber describes his ideal Cane Corso from a morphological point of view “He would have parallel axis of the skull, scissors bite, a longer heavier coat, 60/40 head to muzzle ratio” Upon hearing this description (very similar to the original FIC and ICCF standards) I thought to myself perhaps Sottile was not that far off the mark after all-at least from the point of view of what the original dogs were. Too bad all the people critical of Sottile and this standard never thought to ask Paolo Breber his opinion.

            When I first saw Campagno I thought to myself that he was much different than the dogs I was used to seeing in Italy. He had near parallel axis of the skull, his muzzle by today’s standards would definitely be considered long and he had abundant dewlap. Mr. Bocci is well aware of this, as he tells us “if I brought Campagno to a show he would be the first dog excused, but this is the dog we have always bred and used for generations” In keeping with tradition he uses the same name “Campagno” for each subsequent generation. Breber offers that the dog is trained and utilized in the traditional way, which MR Bocci is only to happy to demonstrate-with only the slightest gesture Campagno leaps into action and begins to harass the cows and bull, jumping up to grab their ears and rump. It was truly an impressive display of a Cane Corso in his element performing the jobs he was meant to do in the ways he was meant to do them. To my new friend “Campagno” I offer a cordial Salute’

            I was finally able to make contact with my erstwhile friend Renzo, he would be held up in Savona so we agreed to meet at the show hotel. As they say all roads lead to Rome-true, but all roads don’t lead to Nemi which is were the hotel was. What should have been a three-hour ride turned into a five hour ordeal. The area’s surrounding Nemi and neighboring Velletri are extremely mountainous, the roads are small, winding and steep (it was hard to believe they support the traffic they do, both pedestrian and automobile) add my very limited skills with a standard shift, throw in my not speaking the language and you have the makings of a very frustrating journey. I probably would never have made it to the hotel if not for the kindness of some local residents of Valletri. One gentleman was kind enough to drive to the hotel while I followed to show me the way. I owe him a dept of gratitude which I will repay the next time I encounter a lost stranger in New York city. The show hotel was beautiful, it was built on the side of a mountain overlooking a picturesque valley and Lago de Nemi (the lake of Nemi) The architecture was superb-large windows framed with brick and ceramic tile floors and walls. What little sheetrock walls were painted bright white with natural wood finish trim. The grounds were meticulously manicured and a lush green color. I would definitely enjoy my stay at the hotel Refussio.

            The AICC itinerary of events started early Saturday afternoon with the AICC general membership meeting. Through my limited Italian vocabulary and with the help of members at the meeting who spoke English I was able to follow the proceedings quite nicely. As a matter of fact I felt as though I was at an ICCF General membership meeting as the topics discussed were virtually identical to one of our meetings. After the meeting we were off to the AICC awards banquet which was held back at the show hotel. As is always the case when I go to Italy the cuisine was fantastic. A large number of AICC members, and surprisingly enough, many ENCI judges were in attendance. Everyone seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves, topics of conversation ranged from dogs of the past to funny tales of rival breeders. There was always an undercurrent of the important work the AICC is trying to accomplish for the breed. This was highlighted by an impromptu toast/speech given by Morgan Invaldi who pointed out the seriousness and importance of the AICC initiatives of the last year. After dinner it was time to give out the awards for “Breeder of the year” “Dog of the Year” and “Bitch of the year”

Interestingly enough the judges from all the 10 shows were recognized and given plagues of appreciation (yours truly included)

The good will of the evening was somewhat tempered by one particularly boisterous breeder who kept spouting off about “how there were no real Corsi in America” I found this particularly ironic since he has sent dogs to America (for a handsome fee) that would be bred to our “unreal” Corsi. I have met this man each time I have been to Italy and the years don’t seem to have mellowed him. Perhaps if he ever decided to visit America and see our dogs with his own eyes he might change his mind, instead of drawing conclusions based on pictures

            The morning of the show arrived quickly and I faced it with great apprehension. Since I got on the plane at JFK I had been thinking about this assignment. This was the first time a judge from America had been asked to go to Italy and judge the breed, so as you can see there is great potential for embarrassment. If for some reason I screwed up it would look like no Americans know anything about the breed. For day’s I debated with myself, should I make my selections based on what I thought an Italian judge would pick? Finally, I arrived at the conclusion that I should be true to myself and base my selections on my knowledge of the breed and my experiences. That is what they brought me here. I would approach this show like I would any other that I have judged in the past.

 I learned I would be sharing this assignment with ENCI judge Ricardo Cresiani   A man who first owned a Corso in the 1960’s and from all accounts seemed well versed in the breed. Generally I might have had a problem sharing the assignment but Renzo explained that it was traditional for they’re to be two judges at their International show. Who was I to buck tradition so I was fine with it. Since I was a guest in Italy MR. Cresiani  was gracious enough to allow me to judge the males, which is considered the more prestigious assignment, while he tended to the females. We would do best male, female and Best in Show together. Upon my arrival at the showground’s I couldn’t help but notice how much the atmosphere was like that of a show in the US. People getting reacquainted, talking about the old days and their favorite dogs. Others meticulously groomed their dogs while still others practiced their stacking and gaiting techniques. I tried to mill around and see as many dogs as possible. Just like in America our Italian counterparts suffer from the same lack of homogeny. There were dogs of all shapes, sizes and colors. The show was very well attended, 100 or so dogs enrolled with many more on the grounds, opposed to the SACC show one week earlier in the same area where there were only 40 dogs present. The whether cooperated, it was warm but not super hot. The rings were all shaded so the sun was not and issue. As the show began I had my first class 12 to 15 month males. I think I caught the exhibitors by surprise as I asked them to move the dogs several times, which I don’t think they were used too. All the subjects presented in this class were of equal quality. Some had a nice head but lacked structure, some were very sound but not typical. I tried to establish a president in this class by picking the most complete, balanced dog. I wanted to be consistent with this method so the people in attendance (both exhibitor and spectator alike) could follow along and know what I was looking for. The second class I judged was the open male. There were 10 subjects present, I divided the class and evaluated them 5 at a time. The winner of this class was a fawn male that I had seen during my last visit. This dog in my opinion was the most complete subject of the dogs in the class. His structure was very good, great rear angulation, very good shoulder layback, correct head to neck  ratio, a nicely developed breastbone, correct width of chest and a flawless topline. He did not have the best head in the class-but there was really only one outstanding head in the open class. However this dog’s head was certainly typical and definitely would not be considered a fault. I would like to have seen more bone and size on the dog. I realize there were some feathers ruffled with this selection but I picked what I considered to be the best dog in this class. The difference between the first and second place dogs was very little indeed, his head was better and he was a larger more robust subject but he had a slight dip in his topline and his rear was a little splayed. Consequently, his head was not enough to over come the winners overall soundness. Up next for me was the champion class. There were three dogs in this class a gray dog, a black dog and a furmentino. I was very satisfied to award my first “EXCELLENT” ratings of the day, one each to the black and the furmentino. My decision came down to these two dogs, the black has outstanding bone, structure and a great head piece-perhaps his eyes could have been darker. The furmentino was of outstanding morphological type. Tremendous muscular development, outstanding bone, excellent structure and correct head type. To be honest I am hard pressed to find fault with him, perhaps he had too much dewlap but not enough to be considered a severe fault. The gray dog looked a little out of place with these two, but he is still a young dog and has a lot of maturing to do. I gave the class to the furmentino dog with the black dog second. As I told all in attendance I would love to own either of these two dogs. The gray dog was third, with hopes of a promising future. Up next was the veteran’s class where I was presented an outstanding 81/2 years old. He was robustly built, beautiful head, outstanding structure. He had a good bite but there seemed to be some anomaly with his left upper canine. I was only too happy to give this fine old warrior an “EXCELLENT” rating. I hope to look as good as him when I’m his age. It was now time to choose the best male. As I mentioned earlier this would be a joint decision between myself and MR. Cresiani We had to choose between the winners of the respective class’s which comprised a very diverse group. In my mind the Champion class winner was every bit as sound (even more) as the open class winner but with superior type, bone, substance and head. So he got the nod there. The veterans class winner while game and valiant just did not have enough to overcome this young stallion. However, as I said this would be a joint decision and MR. Cresiani wanted to pay homage to the veteran class winner to reward him for his many years of service to the breed. I was certainly sympathetic and had this been a lesser dog I might have agreed, but I could not in good conscience deny this dog his due. Roberto, I think out of a sense of hospitality relented, telling me “the furmentino dog is indeed a beautiful dog, and a deserving winner. The best in show competition was between the furmentino and a completely overmatched young female. I had been watching as she rose through the ranks, hoping MR. Cresiani   would be able to find her and push her through the females present. She was definitely feminine, a short muzzle but not “boxer type” She had a nice healthy black coat with virtually no white. She was sound structurally and a sure mover. I would have preferred she have more bone and be a bit larger but she was still young. I would have also liked to see a darker eye. For the Best in Show selection we were in agreement and the furmentino “Jones” was the winner of the 10^th International AICC Raduno. With the end of the show came the end of the business part of my trip. I had enough talk of Cane Corso’s and would spend the next day’s sight seeing & shopping. I was increasingly anxious to go home; even though I was surrounded by people it can be a little lonely when nob0dy else speaks your language. I missed my dogs and wanted to know what happened between the Yankees and Mets.

 

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