For more than 30 years the Quinta de São Fernando Kennel in Manteigas has been dedicated to the creation of Serra da Estrela dogs, which sells to various parts of Brazil and abroad.
Its owner, Suzette da Mota Veiga, of Swiss origin, is a breeder of Serra da Estrela dogs, a long-haired variety, since 1987, when the animal “was a bit extinct” due to the appearance of other breeds.
“Today it is different, the Serra da Estrela dog is admired, it is spread through the internet, it goes to the whole world, and everyone knows the dog and has the possibility to learn about the breed,” said the breeder.
The Quinta de São Fernando kennel currently has 14 adult dogs (three males), a dog with two and a half months and two litters of 11 pups, which were born on January 25.
According to Suzette da Mota Veiga, the ideal is to sell the dogs “from eight weeks” after being vaccinated and have received the microchip.
Each animal of this national breed originated from Serra da Estrela is sold by the breeder at an average of 500 euros.
The specimens of the Quinta de São Fernando Kennel in Manteigas “are sold especially to families who have a farm, who have space, and want to have a dog that keeps, but also a family dog.”
“And so the Serra da Estrela dog is ideal. He is a very loyal dog, very faithful, likes children, is not an aggressive dog but at the same time keeps, respects.No one enters a room where a dog is Serra da Estrela. This gives a lot of security to people who live on farms, “said the breeder.
Although the herders of the region are less and less and generally opt for the short-haired dog, Suzette da Mota Veiga sells Serra da Estrela dogs to the whole country and abroad, especially in European countries.
“It is already sold here, throughout the Portuguese territory, in Madeira and in the Azores also, until there is in Brazil and is sold, mainly, in all the European countries: France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy. little more because the Spaniards choose their own breeds more, but there are also dogs from the Serra da Estrela in Spain, ” he said.
The Manteigas kennel sells animals throughout the year and usually passes the doors to tourists.
“I have a lot of visitors who come to see the Serra da Estrela and know about my kennel and come and see it, it is not often to buy, it’s just to show the children what the typical dog is like here. They come to see the habitat of the Serra da Estrela dog, ” said the owner.
The Serra da Estrela dog – both short-haired and long-haired – is an icon typical of that region.
The speciality of this animal is to guard herds. It was once used by herders because “a wolf does not dare to attack when it sees one or two dogs standing at the foot of the herd,” says Suzette da Mota Veiga.
At age 78, the woman continues to take care of the Quinta de São Fernando Kennel every day and is proud to have been the first breed of Serra da Estrela breeders to settle in Manteigas.
