Ever
since the days of the great Alaunts, the sports of
bull-baiting, and later dog-fighting, have been notorious
spectator sports in Spain. Large, agile fighting dogs were
renowned in Spain, where they are generally called Perro de
Presa, meaning a gripping or holding dog and loosely
translated as bulldog. Although bull-baiting is no longer
practiced, dogfighting still has avid followers in Spanish
rural areas and places settled by Spaniards (South America,
Puerto Rico, etc.).
For many centuries the local
fighting breeds were the white Cordoba Dog (see Dogo
Argentine) and the dark-colored Perro de Presa Es-pana, the
Spanish Bulldog, very like the original bulldogs of
16th-century England. The Presa had long, straight legs,
even or slightly undershot mouth and great power with
agility. He was around 100 pounds, with a long neck and a
long tail held high; he was said to look much like the old
smaller Doguin form of the Dogue de Bordeaux. He has long
been extinct. The Cordoba Dog's influence is still seen hi
the Dogo Argentine and those brought to the Americas,
forming various white dogs used to hunt wild boar.
As organized dog-fighting waned
on the rest of the continent, it continued on the islands
off the Spanish coast. On the Balearic island of Mallorca,
one breed has been recognized by FCI. Officially called the
Perra de Presa Mallorquin, much controversy exists over
whether he is now extinct or not. Although he is still
listed on the FCI roster, Spanish judges and dog breeders
say the Mallorquin has completely disappeared. Americans at
a recent rural Spanish show for Pit Bulls and other fighting
dogs said, however, six times as many Mallorquin Bulldogs
were entered as Pit Bulls. Whether these dogs represent a
reconstruction of the breed or a revival is a matter to be
settled in time.
The Mallorquin Bulldog was often
called Ca de Bou in the native Catalan language. Up to a
hefty and impressive 150 pounds, he had his ears cropped in
a short, rounded cut to make him look like a panther. The
Mallorquin Dog was brought in great numbers to Puerto Rico
and other Spanish islands of the Caribbean where, in the
early part of this century, dog-fighting was common.
Although laws have not been passed against it, the
"sport" is no longer organized. This breed was the
fighting dog of the islands. Puerto Ricans say many
Mallorquin crosses exist, but are not sure whether any pure
specimens remain.
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