300 - August, 2013

The FCI (Fédération Cynologique Interna-tionale), the World Canine Organization, includes86 member countries and contract partners (onemember per country). Each issues its own pedigreesand trains its own judges. The FCI ensures that thepedigrees and judges are mutually recognized by allFCI members.

Recognition of a breed by the FCI means that inalmost every European country, that breed can beawarded FCI championship prizes. The CIMAR-RÓN URUGUAYO (Uruguayan Cimarron) wasprovisionally accepted by the FCI in February 2006.

PAMPAS The Oriental Republic of Uruguay, a country of ap-

proximately 175,000 square kilometers, is situated inthe southeastern part of South America. Uruguay has

about 3.5 million inhabitants of whom 1.8 million livein the capital, Montevideo. An estimated 88 percentof the population is of European origin.

A large part of the country is covered with grass –the pampas, a large flat plain with some small bushesand few trees, that is suitable for livestock breeding.Uruguay had its own cowboys, the gauchos, nomadichorsemen who lived on the pampas while huntingwild cattle.

Most Uruguayans are descended from Spanish –especially Basque – and Italian conquerors and set-tlers. Before European colonization, the only docu-mented inhabitants were the Charrúa people, a smallnomadic tribe living along the Rio de la Plata ashunters and fishermen.

CATTLEThe Spanish discovered the territory of present-day

Uruguay in 1516, but native resistance to conquestlimited settlement in the region during the 16th and17th centuries.

Because the area lacked gold and silver, the Spanishbegan to introduce cattle in 1603, to become a sourceof wealth in the region. And, where there is cattle,dogs are needed. During the 17th century, horses, cat-tle and dogs were imported to Uruguay from Europe.

CIVIL WAR AND A MILITARY COUPIn 1811, José Gervasio Artigas launched a success-

ful revolt against Spain, defeating Spanish forces onMay 18 at the Battle of Las Piedras. In 1814, heformed the Liga Federal (Federal League) of whichhe was declared Protector. We will meet Artigas –

Uruguay’s national hero – later, in the history of theCimarrón Uruguayo.

Other names of the Cimarrón Uruguayo• Cimarron Creole• Cimarron Dog• Maroon Dog• Cerro Largo Dog• Uruguayan Gaucho Dog• Perro Cimarron

CIMARRÓN = WILD OR FERAL“Cimarrón” is a Spanish word used in many appli-

cations; for example, it’s the name of a mountain chainin Colorado, villages in New Mexico and Kansas, anda brand of French jeans. The English translation of

H I S T O R Y

The English translation of Cimarrón – “wild, untamed orundomesticated” – is a clue to the breed’s early history

text and illustrations by RIA HÖRTERCourtesy Dr. Francisco Gonzalez, Uruguay

NEW DOG BREEDS RECOGNIZED BY THE FCI

CIMARRÓN URUGUAYO(Uruguayan Cimarron)

continued on page 302

Cimarrón – “wild, untamed or undomesticated” – is a clue to thebreed’s early history: Cimarrón Uruguayo means “untamed inUruguay.” In Uruguay, the word cimarrón is used for anything wildas opposed to domestic.

SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE CONQUERORSAbout the history of the Uruguayan Cimarrón, the FCI standard

states: “The origin of the CIMARRÓN Uruguayo is uncertain. It isknown to be descended from the dogs introduced by the Spanishand Portuguese conquerors.

“These dogs left in the country crossed among themselves. Nat-ural selection had as a result that only the fitter, the stronger andmore clever individuals survived. This is how the Cimarrón wasborn.

“The inhabitants of the time, recognizing the value of these dogs,domesticated them and progressively began to use them success-fully as guards of their estates and as herding dogs in their dailywork with cattle.”

The FCI uses the word “uncertain” in describing the breed’s earlyhistory. “Uncertain” also applies to the origin of many other typesof dogs taken from Europe to the colonies in South America fromthe 15th to 18th century. They were cross-bred and their history wasseldom documented. However, we know what these types of dogslooked like, thanksto paintings andother old depictions.

It is assumed thatthe “old Spanishpresa” and otherSpanish and Italianmolossian typeswere the forerunnersof the CimarrónUruguayo. Somewriters assert that themolossian typeswere crossbred (inUruguay?) withsighthounds toachieve more speed and versatility, but I did not find any evidenceto support this claim.

In South America and elsewhere, European dogs were developedinto new breeds that showed a remarkable similarity. Think, for ex-ample, of the Dogo Argentino in Argentina, the Dogo Canario onthe Canary Islands, the Cão Fila de São Miguel on the Azores, andthe Fila Brasileiro in Brazil. Each has old molossian and/or old mas-tiff blood in its veins. Sometimes the similarity is striking, even aftermore than five centuries and separated by thousands of miles.

SEMI-WILDIn Uruguay, many of the domesticated animals, including the

dogs, brought by Europeans during colonization, were set free andbecame more or less feral. Although there is no written history, wecan be certain that the Cimarrón Uruguayo comes from crossingsamong the dogs brought in by Spanish, Portuguese and Italian con-querors and colonists. Only the strongest survived and, thanks to

natural selection, de-veloped into a strongand intelligent dog.

Unfortunately,their numbers be-came too large to besustained and theybegan attacking live-stock and even hu-mans. As a result,thousands of dogswere killed at theend of the 18th andbeginning of the19th century whenthe government paida bounty for eachdog killed; a jaw oran ear was providedas evidence.

It is said that largenumbers of bitchesand their puppies es-

caped to the woods along the Olimar River, to the Sierrade Otazo and the Cerro Largo (hence the name CerroLargo Dog), a region bordering Brazil. Recognizingthem as good cattle drivers and guard dogs, local rangersstarted to breed these dogs, keeping the puppies thatshowed the same qualities as their parents. Gauchos used

the dogs with theircattle, but theyalso proved to beuseful for huntingbig game and asguard dogs.Thanks to theserangers and gau-chos, Uruguaynow boasts a na-tional breed with anumber of work-ing qualities.

N A T I O N A LRECOGNITION

In 1969, theCimarrón was en-tered at aUruguayan Ken-

nel Club dog show for the first time. Twenty years later, in 1989,the breed got its national recognition by the Asociación Rural delUruguay and by the Kennel Club Uruguayo (KCU, founded in1938).

A breeders club – la Asociación de Criadores de CimarronesUruguayos – was founded and wrote the first breed standard in co-operation with the KCU, which maintains the studbook. The num-

302 - August, 2013

H I S T O R Y

continued from page 300

The head shows several molossian characteris-tics: a powerful muzzle slightly shorter than

the skull; broad nose; and powerful jaws.

Cimarróns Uruguayo at a Uruguayan Kennel Club dog show in 1989.

“Las Meninas” – The family of King Felipe IV ofSpain. Painting (1656) by Velasquez, Museo delPrado, Madrid. This type of mastiff is one of the

forerunners of the Cimarrón Uruguayo.

ber of registered Cimarróns in Uruguay is nowabout 2,000. Outside Uruguay, the breed ispresent in Brazil, Argentina, the United States,and in some European countries, such as Swe-den and the Czech Republic.

In the 1980s, the breed became popular incities, especially in Montevideo. Breeders andthe University of Montevideo signed an agree-ment and genetic studies have been undertakenby the College of Veterinary Medicine. Infor-mation about the genetic studies can be foundon the Internet. Cimarrón breeders are nowunited in the Sociedad de Criadores de Cim-marón Uruguayo - website: www.sccu.com.uy

JOSÉ ARTIGASCimarrón fanciers like to quote the Uruguayan national hero and

freedom fighter José Gervasio Artigas (1764-1850), who fought forindependence from Spain. At a time of need, when many soldierswere losing their lives, Artigas wrote to General Carlos FedericoLecor, “When I run out of soldiers, I will fight with the Cimarróndogs.” This phrase has come to stand for independence and loyalty.

The Cimarrón is now a national symbol inUruguay, was honored with a stamp issued in1995, and is currently the mascot of the Na-tional Army of Uruguay, taking pride of placein the annual Constitution Day parade on July18. On this occasion, a soldier of the ArtigasBlandengues Regiment (honor guard and es-cort to the president) is accompanied by aCimarrón Uruguayo.

The connection between José Artigas andthe Cinmarrón goes further: in 2007, the fourthCimarrón dog show was held in the old head-quarters building of the Blandengues Corpsonce led by (then-Captain) Artigas.

BREED STANDARDAs far as I know, there is no special book

about the Cimarrón, but a prominent writer and composer inUruguay, Pedro Martins Marins (“Duca”) – wrote a booklet aboutthe breed: Los Cimarrones en el Uruguay – Monografia del Perro.It contains only 12 pages and is on offer on the Internet for $200!

Apart from being a cattle driver and guard dog, the Cimarrónis a hunting dog on big game – especially wild boar – and com-panion dog.

The breed’s FCI standard states that the Cimarrón Uruguayo is a“medium-sized dog of molossian type; strong, compact, with goodbones; well muscled and agile.” Its temperament is “balanced, in-telligent and of great courage.”

There are some important proportions: the height at the withersis equal to the height at the croup; and the height to the elbow is thesame as from elbow to withers. The muzzle is only slightly shorterthan the skull, measured from occiput to stop. The skull is widerthan long, the stop is moderate.

The head shows several molossian characteristics: a powerful

muzzle slightly shorter than the skull; a broadnose; and strong, powerful jaws with completescissor bite. The medium, almond-shaped eyeshave an inquisitive expression, the color anyshade of brown and in accordance with the coatcolor.

The medium-sized, triangular drop ears arenot held close to the cheeks. They may becropped round in shape, looking like pumaears, but not more than half their length. Theneck is strong, not too long, and well-muscled.

The topline is level or slightly saddle-backed;the loins are slightly arched. The chest is broad,deep, well-developed, reaching at least to theelbow. The ribs are well-sprung and the forech-

est well-defined. The Cimarrón’s tail is thick and medium-set, reach-ing to the hock, and carried horizontally or slightly upward inmotion.

MOVEMENT, COAT AND SIZEThe forequarters and hindquarters are straight and parallel, the

shoulderblade well laid back. Elbows turn neither in nor out. Fore-arms are strong-boned, the hindquarters well-muscled and powerful. The stifles arewell-angulated; the oval front feet and hind catfeet have strong pads. Movement is effortless,with good reach and drive, single tracking withincreased speed.

The thick, supple skin is covered withshort, smooth hair growing close to the body.There is an undercoat. Coat color is brindleor all shades of fawn, with or without a mask.Fawns may have black shadings. Whitemarks are allowed on the underjaw, lowerpart of the neck, forechest, abdomen andlower part of the legs.

The Cimarrón weighs between 35 and40 kilograms (77 to 88 pounds). The heightat the withers is 58 to 61 centimeters (23 to

24 inches) for dogs (two-centimeters [3/4-inch] tolerance), and55 to 58 centimeters (22 to 23 inches) for bitches (two-centime-ters [3/4-inch] tolerance).

Lips excessively pendulous at the corners; excessive dewlap; too-prominent cheeks; and two missing first premolars are regarded asfaults. White markings with the exception of those mentionedabove; clear departure from the important proportions; absence ofsexual dimorphism; and size under or over the stipulated height (in-cluding the tolerance) are severe faults. Eliminating faults are ag-gression or over-shyness; long hair; any color not mentioned;undershot or overshot jaw; and clear lack of type.

The Cimarrón Uruguayo has no breed club in the United States.

Attempts were made to find the names of the photographers. Un-fortunately we did not succeed in all cases. If you think you havecopyrights on photos, please contact the author.

304 - August, 2013

H I S T O R Y

continued from page 302

Judging the breed in its native countryPhoto courtesy of Dr. Francisco Gonzalez

The height at the withers is the same as theheight at the croup. The topline is level orslightly saddle-backed, loins are slightly

arched. A typical male from Uruguay.Photographer unknown