Villanuco de Las Encartaciones
| Villanuco de Las Encartaciones | ||||||||||||
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| Origin | Spain | |||||||||||
The Villanuco de Las Encartaciones ( Basque breeds of dog, the others being the Basque Shepherd Dog, the Erbi Txakur, the Pachón Navarro and the Villano de Las Encartaciones,[2][3] and one of fourteen animal breeds native to the País Vasco.[4]
It is critically endangered: in 2009 there were fewer than fifty examples.[1]: 599 HistoryThe Villanuco originates in the Basque Autonomous Community, and were recognised as traditional Basque breeds by government decree in 2001.[1]: 599 [5] It was among the fourteen indigenous animal breeds included in the rural development plan for the País Vasco for 2007–2013.[4]
The Villanuco is critically endangered: in 2009 the total number for the breed was reported to be below fifty. Almost all are in the comarca of Enkarterri/Las Encartaciones – in Artzentales, Balmaseda, Güeñes, Karrantza, Sopuerta and Trucios-Turtzioz.[1]: 599 CharacteristicsThe Villanuco is one of several Gos Rater Valencià,[1]: 600 but is phenotypically less similar to them than they are to each other.[6]
It is a small breed: dogs stand 30–40 cm at the withers, bitches a little less. The skin is fine and close-fitting, and the coat is short, little more than 1 cm long. It is most often black and white or black and tan, less frequently black and cinnamon, white and cinnamon, or tri-coloured; the nose is usually black, but may also be chocolate-coloured. The ears are usually upright.[1]: 600 UseThe Villanuco was traditionally used for ratting. It is a good watchdog, alert to the presence of strangers or intruders, and may be kept for that reason or as a companion dog.[2]
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