Bringing Back A Rare Dog Breed
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A 500-year-old cattle dog breed known as Barbado da Terceira (BDT), that originated on the Portuguese Island of Terceira, now has its own “club” in the U.S. thanks to dog lover Suzanne Hardy of Lewisburg, Penn. Hardy says the breed had only 34 known dogs in the U.S. when she and her friend Wendy Dreese started the BDT breed club. Only about 300 BDTs remain around the world. She hopes to change that with her specialized breeding program. Other U.S. breeders have also joined in the effort to expand the Barbados.
“Barbados are excellent cattle dogs derived from intermingling various breeds that were brought to the Azores in the 15th Century. They’re medium-sized dogs with excellent dispositions and have thick coats which don’t shed,” Hardy says. “They’re extremely smart and have strong herding instincts that require training while the dog is young.” Hardy says the dogs bond well with their owner, are protective of their territory, and are excellent with many types of livestock.
“For many years, Barbados were only livestock dogs, but they’ve evolved into wonderful companion dogs because of their quirky personality, stable temperament, and protective nature,” Hardy says.
They have high-set triangular ears and almost human-like eyes that give them a lively face and look. The non-shedding coat has a dense underlayer and a wavy but never curly outer coat. The dogs run well and inherently have excellent herding instincts.
The breed’s name has an interesting backstory. In Portuguese, Terceira means third, and Terceira is the third of nine islands that make up the Azores. Barbado means ‘bearded’ in Portuguese, so the complete name means bearded dogs from the third island. The official English translation of the name is the Terceira Cattle Dog. The BDT Foundation Stock Program was approved by the American Kennel Club in January 2021.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Amaroso Barbado Kennel (www.amarosobarbado.com).
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Bringing Back A Rare Dog Breed LIVESTOCK DOGS A 500-year-old cattle dog breed known as Barbado da Terceira BDT that originated on the Portuguese Island of Terceira now has its own “club” in the U S thanks to dog lover Suzanne Hardy of Lewisburg Penn Hardy says the breed had only 34 known dogs in the U S when she and her friend Wendy Dreese started the BDT breed club Only about 300 BDTs remain around the world She hopes to change that with her specialized breeding program Other U S breeders have also joined in the effort to expand the Barbados “Barbados are excellent cattle dogs derived from intermingling various breeds that were brought to the Azores in the 15th Century They’re medium-sized dogs with excellent dispositions and have thick coats which don’t shed ” Hardy says “They’re extremely smart and have strong herding instincts that require training while the dog is young ” Hardy says the dogs bond well with their owner are protective of their territory and are excellent with many types of livestock “For many years Barbados were only livestock dogs but they’ve evolved into wonderful companion dogs because of their quirky personality stable temperament and protective nature ” Hardy says They have high-set triangular ears and almost human-like eyes that give them a lively face and look The non-shedding coat has a dense underlayer and a wavy but never curly outer coat The dogs run well and inherently have excellent herding instincts The breed’s name has an interesting backstory In Portuguese Terceira means third and Terceira is the third of nine islands that make up the Azores Barbado means ‘bearded’ in Portuguese so the complete name means bearded dogs from the third island The official English translation of the name is the Terceira Cattle Dog The BDT Foundation Stock Program was approved by the American Kennel Club in January 2021 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Amaroso Barbado Kennel www amarosobarbado com
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