The Lagotto Romagnolo
BY LAGOTTO ROMAGNOLO CLUB OF AMERICA continued
In order to safeguard and coordinate proper morpho-functional selection at international level 1997 saw the estab- lishment of U.M.LAG (World Union of Lagotto Clubs—Unione Mondiale dei Club Lagotto Romagnolo), the presi- dent of which is Dr. Giovanni Morsiani. Lagotto Clubs in all the above-mentioned countries are members of this association and there is a constant stream of a ffi lia- tion applications from new clubs all over the world. To safeguard the breed against hereditary pathologies, the Italian Lagotto Club has, since 1992, been involved in the o ffi cial control of hip dysplasia in collabora- tion with the Centro di Lettura (Analysis Centre) directed by Dr. Cesare Pareschi of Ferrara. Th e C.I.L. recently acknowledged E.N.C.I. directives vis-à-vis hereditary
recognition by F.C.I. was won. In the mean- time the breed has enjoyed European and even worldwide success and the number of pups registered at the various F.C.I., British and American Kennel Clubs is constantly growing. For example, in Italy, 545 pups were registered in 1994 and nearly 900 in 2002—a near-doubling of births in just 9 years. In countries such as Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Great Britain the number of registered pups has increased tenfold— and in some cases a hundredfold. Th e rapid international di ff usion of the breed is high- lighted by the constantly increasing num- ber of pup registrations in countries such as Switzerland, Holland, Germany, France, Finland, Great Britain, Australia, and Th e United States.
genetic disease control, providing the Cen- tro di Lettura with the support of the F.S.A. (Animal Health Foundation) of Cremona, directed by Dr. Aldo Vezzoni. Th e Club’s Technical and Health Commission has, for years now, been carrying out careful in- the- fi eld checks and controls as regards the most common hereditary diseases a ff ect- ing water dogs with continuously-growing curly coats. Other checks are regarding the main hereditary eye diseases and some heart conditions. In order to maintain the original work- ing capacity of the Lagotto Romagnolo, the “Quintino Toschi” Italian Lagotto Club has, for some years now, organized tru ffl e- fi nding (working) aptitude tests and trials throughout Italy and has obtained excellent results in terms of both quantity and the perfecting of the breed’s functional quali- ties. Th is allowed us to draw up a Working Standards Proposal for the breed (together with Working Trial Regulations) that the Club sent to E.N.C.I. in 1999. Over recent years we have also trained Club judges to carry out the above Working Trials. At the annual C.I.L. Working Championships, disputed since 1999 in those Italian regions with good tru ffl e terrain, a good number of dogs—from both Italy and abroad - par- ticipate in the skills section and are also entered in the “aesthetic” exhibitions. We believe this to be a clear sign of apprecia- tion of our desire to maintain the original working characteristics of the breed. Th e skills tests allow the Clubs to monitor not only the morpho-functional characteristics of the breed, but also character, which has always been one of the Lagotto Romagno- lo’s strong points. From a morphological viewpoint the Lagotto Romagnolo has, over recent years, been consolidated even further. Our fre- quent, in-depth biometric checks made at conventions, rallies and Club meetings have highlighted that the breed’s morpho-func- tional characteristics are perfectly in line with the o ffi cial morphological standard drawn up in 1991 by Dr. Antonio Morsiani. For some time now, the Lagotto Romagnolo has shown good overall homogeneity, with constant transmission of characteristics down through the bloodline. A few years ago we contacted E.N.C.I.,suggesting that the morphologi- cal standard be clari fi ed by two additional observations vis-à-vis grooming and color of the coat. Th is has become necessary to pre- vent dangerous deviations from the breed’s true rustic nature which can be induced by exaggerated, non-functional grooming by professional handlers both Italian and for- eign. Otherwise, the original Italian Stan- dard is—and remains—the ideal portrait of our breed.
Painting by il Guercino" Giovanni Francesco Barbieri
274 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , J ANUARY 2020
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