VOLPINO ITALIANO
of dogs still living and working in farms and rural areas, and slowly recovered the breed’s rustic genetic base. Today, the Volpino Italia- no remains rare, but continues to grow in recognition. Recognized by ENCI in 1903, FCI in 1956 and UKC in 2006, the Volpino was recognized as an AKC FSS breed in December 2021. With FSS recognition, VICA members are excited to begin attending AKC events. The Volpino is an athletic dog and loves the mental work of training. Her long history has created a tre- mendously flexible dog. She has a moderate-to-high drive, but an excellent off-switch. She is gentle with children and small animals, gets along well with other dogs (though she prefers the company of people), and is alert to, but not frightened by, horses and other large animals. Her keen intelligence and close human bond make her delightfully easy to train, and she often picks up new commands simply by watching other dogs. Her eyesight is quite good, her hearing is sharp, and her nose is exceptional. She is quick and nim- ble and tends to excel in Agility, but she is also naturally inclined to succeed in Obedience, Rally, Tracking, Barn Hunt, Coursing, Scentwork, and Trick Dog competitions. At home, the Volpino is an easy companion and a generally healthy and hardy breed. His luxurious coat is impossibly simple to maintain and sheds very little except when he blows out his under- coat twice a year. Regular nail trimming and tooth brushing, a healthy diet, daily exercise, and the companionship of his people are all he really needs to stay healthy and happy. In Italy, they say, when you look at a Volpino, what you are seeing is the “pure joy of life.” After the last few years of challenges the world has faced, VICA is excited to share this joy with you.
This impression only strengthens as you have an opportunity to work with the dogs. Following the Roman era, the Volpino was best known as the companion of Italian farmers. He had his admirers in the great houses and palaces of the Italian aristocracy, of course, but it was in the fields and yards of the rural Italian farm that the Vol- pino thrived. In a December, 2020 article from Fine Dining Lovers titled, “The Dark Side of the White Truffle,” an elderly man recalls growing up in a truffle hunting region of Northwest Italy: “The dog was more than a member of the family. I remember when we were children… the dog would get to eat raw eggs because they give strength, while we were only eating bread… Both the truffle dog and the Volpino ruled the house. The dogs were sacred in our home.” In the south, the Volpino was the frequent companion of one of Italy’s ancient livestock guardian breeds—the Cane Corso. In this partnership, he played the part of the vigilant watchdog, noisily sounding the alarm to call over the farm’s protector to neutralize any threat. In addition, the Volpino hunted vermin, and herded poultry and smaller farm animals, and he rode with the farmers and merchants on their carts as they took their wares to market. Sadly, following World War II, and later, the collapse of the Italian mezzadria system of share-cropping in the 1960s, both the Volpino Italiano and the Cane Corso teetered on the brink of extinction. By the mid-1960s, the Volpino had all but disap- peared from the dog fancy world. Fortunately for those of us who love the breed, in 1968, Italy’s national kennel club (ENCI) and a man named Dr. Enrico Franceshetti began an effort to recover the Volpino Italiano from obscurity. Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, Dr. Franceshetti traveled the Italian countryside, finding pockets
BIO Sarah Wilson is the current President of the Volpino Italiano Club of America, and the proud owner of Volpino Tessa (Sogni di Tesoro/“sweet dreams”). Ms. Wilson is a fairly recent admirer of the breed, first learning of Volpinos six years ago when genealogy research led her to southern Italy. It took her three years to find a puppy and less than a month to fall head over heels in love with it. For the first year, she wondered if she had just lucked out and gotten one of those impossibly perfect one-in-a-million dogs we all dream of finding. But then she discovered that “Tessa” is pretty standard for the breed and that Volpinos really are just that lovely. She and Tess live with the rest of the menagerie, which includes three cats, two rabbits, a green-cheeked conure, two horses, a German Shepherd Dog, two kids, and one incredibly patient husband.
186 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2022
Powered by FlippingBook