This excerpt is taken from the book The Fila Brasileiro Guide by Clelia Kruel. If you would like to read more about the history of the Fila, you may want to check out one of these books on Filas in Philo's Book Store.

The roots of the Fila Brasileiro breed are unknown, but presumably the breed emerged basically from a cross among the ancient English Mastiff, the Bullenbeisser (ancient bulldog) and the Bloodhound.

Actually, some pronounced traits of all three breeds can be observed in the Fila Brasileiro official standard, not only in structure but also in working abilities of the breed.

During the 1800's, the Portuguese nobility searched for refuge in Brazil during the Napoleonic conquest. King João VI came to the colony escorted by the English navy. As a consequence, the English dogs became popular in Brazil, especially after the opening of the Brazilian ports to the free flood of commerce with England. The English influence became very strong in Brazil following that period, when King João VI signed a contract with England giving complete priority to the English crown until 1844.

During the period of 1815 Portugal and Brazil were declared a single nation. Maybe the Portuguese dog, the Fila Terceirence, who left the legacy of the "crooked tail" to the Filas, was introduced during this period together with other Portuguese herding and cattle droving dogs. This possibility has caused a great controversy among Brazilian authors. As any other breed, there are many misconceptions and suppositions involving the history of the breed.

The Molossians
Starting from the Molossians, there are records of Ovid, about 6 AD, describing the British Pugnaces pitted against the Pugnaces of Epirus. In 44 AD Strabo wrote about a Celtic war dog of pendant ears, lowering aspect, and flabby lips. On the reliefs in the British Museum taken from the Temple of Konyunjik, the Assyrian King Assurbanipal is shown hunting with a large Molossian dog. The import of the Asiatic Mastiffs was attributed to the Phoenicians, a theory that still holds true today. Even if the Assyrian bas-reliefs show Molossians, it does not mean that this was the true Mastiff breed. And maybe the British Pugnaces were brought in by the Romans. The Roman writer Falicus wrote about a fighting breed called Britons, "witch courage and ferocity is unmatched by any other breed."

Many authors took the position that the terms Molossians and Mastiffs were synonymous. The Molossians or Molossus were large dogs originating in Epirus, on the Greek mainland opposite the island of Corfu. Named after Molossus, the king of Epirus, it was a "crop-eared, square-headed dog with a heavy mane, giving it a leonine appearance." The Mastiff-type dog had been supposedly used as a cross on native Roman breeds. Some authors believe that the Mastiff of historical quotations signifies more a family type than a particular breed. Certainly many breeds of the Mastiff-type are scattered around the world, under different names. Even during the Han dynasty in China (206 BC - 220 AD) there were sculptures of short haired dogs of the Mastiff-type. The old British Pugnax received also many other names: BANDOG for watch dog, COSTOG and GAFAELGI (from "gafe" - to hold). It is interesting to note that the word FILA also means "to hold" in archaic Portuguese. Later during the reign of Henry II of England, the name MASTIFF and BULLDOG, all belonging to one family group, became a specific word to name the MASTIFF.

The Ancient Bullenbeisser And His Influence
Bull baiting was very popular in London around 1204 when Lord Stanford of Lincolnshire supported the sport in his state. It was during the second century AD that some dogs of the Mastiff family were imported by the Romans. Closely resembling the Molossians, they received the name ENGLISH BULLENBEISSERS. These dogs were highly praised by the Teutonic and Celtic tribes. During the Middle Ages the German hunting dogs were crossed with Bullenbeissers and a new, more agile dog was created, called the ENGLISH DOGUE.

The crossing of Bulldogs has also been mentioned as the coming of the great ancient Boxers. In Brazil, one of the ancestors of the Fila was known as the ENGELSEN DOGGEN brought by the Dutch invaders around 1630. These dogs, coming from the Bulldog family, had a very long nose, and dogs with an undershot bite were preferred, as they had a "better grip" and could hand on to their target. These dogs were crossed with the Mastiffs and were called DOGUE DE FORTE RACE, largely employed by the Dutch army to fight in the swamps and woods of Pernambuco. From the North these dogs spread out to the South of Brazil, where milk and corn were plentiful on the ranches. These dogs turned out to be good hunters and were highly praised, not only by European but also by the natives who would exchange them for valuable things, including gold.

The Bloodhound Influence
Let's have a quick look at the history of the third breed supposedly taking part in the Fila Brasileiro breed development. The Bloodhound seems to be mentioned as early as the third century AD by Claudius Aelianus, but this dog really made his appearance around 727 AD There were two different strains: the St. Hubert and the Talbot. Both played an important role in the development of other hounds. Both were kept by bishops and monks. The kennels were an important part of every monastery. Dogs crossed with Bloodhounds were intended to produce the very best scent hounds, so they were called the blooded hound, meaning selected blood. This name was shortened through time and eventually became simply BLOODHOUND. These dogs were kept to track down the poachers who stole animals, but the hounds never attacked anyone. The Bloodhounds and extremely docile. Their nose is so accurate that this is the only breed whose evidence is accepted in a court of law. It is true that "Nick Carter", one of the greatest tracking Bloodhounds, had over 600 convictions to his credit. The Fila Brasileiro seems to have inherited all the goo qualities of the Bloodhound tracker with the difference that tat the end of the trail it will grab and hold—from this came the name FILA (filar means to grab, to hold).

Other Possible Influences
Besides the English and Portuguese dogs, the Filas may also have been influenced to a certain extent by some Spanish breeds introduced by newcomers, as Spain and Portugal had been united during the Monarquia Universal from 1580 to 1640, under the reign of Felipe II. The Spaniards used the "perros de presa" in large quantities and certainly these dogs crossed the borders along with the cattle in the southern part of Brazil. Uruguay became a big cattle center. To handle and to drive the wild cattle in wide open spaces it was necessary to have a large and dependable dog. In the Beleares Islands, the black Pastor de Mallorquin (Ca de Bestiar) was used not only as a guard dog but also a cattle drover. Just as the Fila Brasileiro, this breed presents some special characteristics: a great devotion to his master, dislike towards strangers, and intelligence. His expression is also a sad one, giving the idea that the dog may be thinking.

The Mongrels
Around 1930, Great Danes became very popular in Brazil and some blood stains of this breed were introduced to the Fila Brasileiro in some regions, but this was numerically of little consequence. It was found that the new breed would cause damage and destroy the wonderful temperament of the Fila Brasileiro, which was already a well formed breed with its own peculiar traits and characteristics. Some people say that black Filas came from black Great Danes, but this is not true. Black Filas come from their ancestors, and mongrel can be easily identified looking at the characteristics of the breed. There are more fawns and brindle mongrels in Brazil than there are black Filas. Black Filas represent only 2.5% of the total stock. The color of the Fila may be fawn in all shades, brindle in all shades, re and black. Colors of mouse grey, black and tan, patched dogs, and white dogs are causes for disqualification. In 1946, the first official standard of the breed was written and in 1968 the Féderation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) officially recognized the Fila Brasileiro breed.

The Popularity Of The Fila In The USA
In the United States, the first American-born Filas were registered in Brazil in 1979 by Mr. Robert Falkenburg. In 1984, Clelia Kruel and Jerry Loftin founded the Fila Brasileiro Club of America in Georgia. Then more Filas started being imported, with an increase in the popularity of the breed in the United States, the numbers grew.

In 1992, Clelia Kruel founded the Fila Brasileiro Association, Inc. in Texas, following not only the official standard of the breed but also the official breeding and showing regulations of the Brazilian Confederation of Cynophilie (CBKC), and the Féderation Cynologique Internationale (FCI). The Association is the first international Fila organization in existence, having currently around one hundred members spread out throughout the world. In Texas alone, after the founding of the FBA, the number of breeders jumped from 3 to 53! This is just great for a rare breed.

The Fila Brasileiro Association goals are to promote and to preserve the Fila Brasileiro breed according to the official standard and official show and breeding regulations, as recognized by the CBKC and FCI.

In order to breed well, the Fila owners must first of all be well informed by a reliable organization. The FBA is here to inform and to help the conscientious breeders to be selective.

The Fila Brasileiro is a unique breed and excels as a loyal guard dog, therefore its popularity is bound to increase every year. The FBA is the source of official and reliable information to preserve the high qualities of this wonderful breed.