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> About Us
About Us |  | | | Porto Novo's Marilyn & Kip and four of their Podengos. |
I discovered Podengos when researching breeds found in the "Primitive" category of dogs found in Europe. We were looking for one of the world's healthiest dogs and found the charming little Podengo in Portugal -- categorized there as a Primitive, Spitz-like Breed, and here in the USA as a Hound.
The small Podengo (called Podengo Pequeno - the word pequeno is simply an adjective meaning "small" in Portuguese) is exceptionally healthy because it is a hunting dog, bred for its functionality -- not for crowd-pleasing attributes like certain colors. But it sure is a crowd pleaser -- the small Podengo is as personable and captivating as a dog can be.
Then we founded the first and best Podengo club in America -- the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno Club of America www.podengos.com/.
We did this to maintain the breed's integrity and protect it in the United States. We are still the biggest and best club in the USA dedicated to this breed and work closely with other breed experts and aficionados to maintain its integrity.
Podengos are versatile, friendly, and great companions. Many live in homes with people who are active in their communities, including this one. Years ago, a Solidarity activist in Poland told me that democracy is a never-ending process. Here in the USA, that is especially true as we all have the freedom to work on those things we believe in and make our democracy even better. Many of our little Podengos are out and about meeting people and serving as great representatives for the breed, being friendly and making people smile wherever they go!
Porto Novo - Home of America's First Small Wire Hair Podengos & Champions
Porto Novo Podengos was established in 2001 in Newport, Rhode Island. The name translates to "new port" and we think of it as a new place in the new world for this ancient breed of Portugal. In 2004, we moved to Old Saybrook, Connecticut, where our Podengos have well-fenced acres to play in surrounded by marsh and conservation lands reaching to the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound. All of our Podengos live with us in the house and are part of our family. They are especially fond of our granddaughter, Dylan, who is especially fond of them.
Our Saybrook property, called Podengo Point as it is surrounded on three sides by marsh and water, is exceptionally well fenced with 5 feet of cedar stockade fencing, below which is two feet of hardware cloth. This prevents animals from the conservation lands from digging in and dogs living here from digging out.
Because of the ample wildlife surrounding us, the Podengos have great fun running about the land, chasing squirrels, digging for moles, hunting mice, barking at ducks, egrets and heron and having a grand time chasing each other in endless games of Podengo tag. Sometimes a big wild turkey will fly into the yard and create some fantastic fun for the little ones, who never get too close but have happy times trying!
Questions? Contact us at portonovokennel@aol.com
Here are some scenes of Porto Novo during different times of the year, a beautiful place for wonderful dogs. Many thanks to Jon Wedgwood Murphey for many of these wonderful nature scenes.
Also check out our blog for life with Podengos.
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