The Ca de Bou or Perro de Presa Mallorquin is a Spanish

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

catch dog A catch dog is a specially trained dog that is used to catch large animals in hunting, working livestock, and baiting. As hunters, catch dogs are contrasted with bay dogs who corner prey animals and alert their handler by howling, or baying. ...

from

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, the largest of the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

History

The Ca de Bou was historically kept on the island of

for the

blood sport A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Activities charact ...

s of

bull-baiting Bull-baiting (or bullbaiting) is a blood sport involving pitting a bull against dogs with the aim of attacking and subduing the bull by biting and holding onto its nose or neck, which often resulted in the death of the bull. History England ...

and dog fighting. The breed may have developed during the period of Catalan influence over Majorca between 1270 and 1570 AD, depriving from

mastiff A mastiff is a large and powerful Dog type, type of dog. Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short Coat (dog), coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short (brachycephal ...

-type dogs used on the island for controlling cattle. By the time of the British occupation of Majorca in the 18th century, both bull-baiting and dog fighting were well established on the island, and the Ca de Bou were favoured by the locals for these blood sports, being renowned for their ferocity and bravery. With the outlawing of bull-baiting and dog fighting on Majorca in the 20th century, the Ca de Bou lost favour and their numbers dwindled to the brink of extinction. The breed was saved by enthusiasts from mainland Spain who began exhibiting it; eventually it was recognised by the

Real Sociedad Canina de España is the Spanish kennel club. It was founded in Madrid as the on 27 June 1911, and became a legal entity on 12 July 1911; on 1 December 1911 it received the royal patronage of Alfonso XIII, and the word 'Real' was added before the name. It has ...

. It is known as the Perro de Presa Mallorquin in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, in English as the Majorcan Bulldog or occasionally the Majorcan Mastiff; Ca de Bou is the

Catalan language Catalan () is a Western Romance languages, Western Romance language and is the official language of Andorra, and the official language of three autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous communities in eastern Spain: Catalonia, the Balearic I ...

name. The first

breed standard In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include phenotype, physical or morphology (biology), morphological detail, genotype, g ...

was drawn up in 1932. The breed was definitively accepted by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

in 1963.

Description

The Ca de Bou is a very muscular dog of medium size. It typically stands between . The

states dogs should stand between and bitches between ; dogs weigh between , bitches between . The short and rough coat is typically brindle, fawn or black in colour. The head is large, with a broad and powerful jaw well suited to gripping a bull or another dog in the fighting pit.

Life expectancy Human life expectancy is a statistical measure of the estimate of the average remaining years of life at a given age. The most commonly used measure is ''life expectancy at birth'' (LEB, or in demographic notation ''e''0, where '' ...

is typically 10 to 12 years.

Character

Selective breeding for the show ring has softened the Ca de Bou's temperament, and they are now biddable and affectionate, although they retain the tenacity and alertness of their forebears.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ca de Bou FCI breeds Bulldog breeds Dog fighting breeds Dog breeds originating in the Balearic Islands Rare dog breeds Catch dogs