Dana Simel, P.h.D.
Carla Molinari (r), President of the Portuguese Kennel Club and supporter of the BDT, met with Dana Simel (l) at the Barbado da Terceira meetup in Santarém, Portugal, in November 2024. The event showcased the breed on the mainland and on Terceira Island to an international delegation that was present to evaluate the Breed Standard and behavior for possible recognition in the FCI.
1. After retiring last year from a career in higher education and public schools, I pursued a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) certification. My goal was, and is, to better understand herding dogs and provide support to all Barbado da Terceira owners and enthusiasts across the United States.
Between us, my husband and I have had a Standard Poodle, a Bernese Mountain Dog, Golden Retriever, Great Pyrenees, two Black and Tan Coonhounds, and two Spinioni Italiani. We were introduced to the Barbado da Terceira dog breed during a 2018 trip to Terceira Island in the Azores, Portugal. We were so charmed that we brought a puppy, Nuvem do Pico da Casa dos Bravos, home to Frederick, Maryland. Recognizing the breed’s scarcity, I returned to Portugal five months later to acquire another puppy, Rubin. We created New World Barbado da Terceira in 2020, and my son and I traveled back to Lisbon to pick up our “Lisbon” (“Lizzie” for short) in 2021.
The Barbado da Terceira breed has seen significant growth in the US since the birth of Pico and Rubin’s first litter in 2020. This marked the start of our breeding program. The breed expanded further with Amanda Smiley’s puppies born in the same year, and the importation of foundation dogs from Portugal between 2021 and 2024. As a result, the breed has grown from a single dog (Pico) to 99 dogs across 29 states. In 2021, the breed was accepted into the AKC’s Foundation Stock Service. During that same year, the Barbado da Terceira Club – USA was established by Amanda Smiley of the Bearded Smile Kennel, Wendy Dreese of Amorosa Kennel, and myself.
2. Our club’s founders recognized early on the opportunity and responsibility to grow a healthy breed with genetic diversity. Conversely, we recognized the possibility of the opposite; without proper management, in several generations we could have an irreversible result of hundreds of sick dogs in the US. Fortunately, we have chosen the former.
Our breed is in great condition, due to our owners, partner breeders, and kennel creators. All breeders have agreed to abide by a breeding schedule for three generations that will ensure genetic diversity; in addition, all breeders have agreed to have their dogs PennHIP and DNA tested before breeding.
The Barbado da Terceira is recognized in Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. Our club signed a Protocol of Understanding with the two parent clubs in Portugal, and Jessica Fitzpatrick of Third Island Kennel has applied for recognition in Canada. In addition to broader national club recognition, the Portuguese are seeking recognition with the FCI. The breed’s future looks bright.
3. Our Barbado da Terceira are cattle herders, but cattle ranching has decreased significantly over the last century, which is as true in Portugal as it is in the United States. Of course, this has led to a thinning of our breed’s population and a large number of dogs without a working purpose. This is also the case with many other working breeds who find themselves without a job.
Barbado da Terceira dogs can still thrive as pets if their instinctive herding behaviors are understood. Owning cattle isn’t necessary to maintaining these instincts, as owners can become involved in Herding, Agility, Scent wWork, and Rally. The AKC now has virtual tests for these sports, which offers additional opportunities for mental and physical stimulation.
Even without formal training or competition, dogs can engage their herding instincts in everyday situations. My own dogs, for example, enjoy “herding” deer, squirrels, plastic bags blowing in the wind, balls, and even my husband, Gerry, and me. The latter is annoying but sort of cute.
4. The CDC’s requirement that puppies entering the US must be at least six months old is a major setback for our efforts to increase genetic diversity and save the breed from extinction. In almost every case, our owners have traveled to Portugal to pick up their puppies in person. It’s confusing that an owner cannot bring her own puppy into the US from a non-rabies country. This policy severely limits our options for expanding the breed’s population in the US and in Canada; it is, in fact, difficult for all breeds but is particularly challenging for preservation breeds.
5. Social media has been great to get the word out about our breed. As the breed is new to the US, we have appreciated encouraging Facebook posts made by our Portuguese and international friends. I understand that comments on any platform can get toxic, but we have not yet had this issue.
6. While conformity to Standards is a priority, the top priority must be to the health and wellbeing of purebred dogs. This must include decisions to diversify genetic pools. Responsible breeders understand that prioritizing the health of their breed may not be in the best interest of developing champions, but this can be a hard sell to those who feel otherwise.
7. Over the past ten years, the AKC has placed a greater emphasis on health than on extreme physical characteristics of some breeds and it has encouraged health testing for particular breeds. The Canine College is also a positive addition to AKC development.
