Black Filas? Fila Brasileiros

(Article from MM1 page 55, 1981) - C. Habig, Translated by A. Luciani

As not only in Brazil there are heavy discussions about the black dogs, which according to their pedigree are Fila Brasileiro, but also in the meantime such a black dog has been exported to Germany the question about black Fila is prevailing. The Molosser Magazine will go into details of the colour of the Fila at length in later editions. For now at least some details of the colour of the Fila should be provided.

Fila Brasileiro Standard

According to the standard all colours -excepting pure white- are allowed with the Fila. Paulo Santos Cruz has elucidated in multiple articles that he knows Filas in every colour, but he has not seen until now a true black Fila in his life. To get again the topical opinion of this unchallanged connoisseur, a Brazilian fellow worker of the M.M. has on my request thoroughly phoned to Dr. Paulo Santos Cruz during mid-march 1981. Result of the interview : Black Filas are absolutely not to be excluded but Santos Cruz himself has never bred black Filas and in his forty years of establishing his work never saw one ! Cruz doesn't know of the past any pure black Fila ! For the present time the founder of the breed says : « In my opinion the black dogs emerging today with a Fila pedigree are mongrels ».

The Black Fila Myth Explained

People who are well informed know that in « Pronunciamento oficial do Brasil Kennel Club sobre a Raca Fila Brasileiro » of September 1979, Santos Cruz was said to have himself bred a black Fila, namely « Zumbi Do Parnapuan » with the registration number KCP In.1263, born on July, 10th 1957. Sometimes the date of birth is stated to be July 10th 1950. Paulo Santo Cruz said in the above stated phone call : « When I started breeding Filas, I had a litter under the name of my Dobermann-Kennel Cadiz Y Cadiz. After that my Kennel Parnapuan started with the letter « A » there was no Z litter in those years ! » When I read the publication, I asked CBKC twice to get the pedigree, but have not seen it still today.

Fila Brasileiro

This information is important. To the special judge of the Fila Brasileiro this means that the black dogs introduced as Filas have to be examined with extraordinary diligence on the potential distinguishing marks of a different breed - especially Danish Doggue (Great Dane) and Mastino Napolitano.