Fila Protection Stories

[Filaman]

SOME FILA STORIES

by Paul Schuetz of Shoo-it’s Mountain Filas

Since I have been doing The Fila Digest and FILA TALK Magazines, I have
heard many stories people have call in. These are just a few, some have
names to them and some don’t.

MERSCH CALABRESE, BRADFORD PA
My daughter who is 16 years old was home alone with Dino when he was 51/2
months old. Out of the blue two guys started to pound on our door and
demanded my daughter to buy some raffle tickets. My daughter was frightened
by their loud voices and demands and no doubt her fear was detected by Dino
who hurled his body against the door trying to go through for these two
guys. Well, he bounced off once, because of the steel frame and hurled his
body again wanting to attack.
My daughter told me he was a different dog other then the one she knew, and
afterwards he followed her around the house until my wife came home.

A WOMAN ALONE
A woman walking alone with her leashed year old Fila one night was
approached by a man. He started getting fresh with her but did stay far
enough away to be out of reach of the dog. She told him to leave her alone,
and that the dog would attack him, and then turned around and walked back in
the direction she was coming from to avoid a confrontation.
The man follow her paying no heed and kept up the smart remarks when
suddenly the Fila made a instant turn and bit the man in the groin causing
enough damage that he needed hospitalization and stitches. This could have
been a rape, or rape and murder, so chalk one up for the Fila.

STREET CRIME IN CHICAGO

I have talked with people in Chicago that have bought the Fila for the
sole reason of wanting protection from other large dogs. The latest thing
going on is robbers walking up to a person on the street and instead of
flashing a gun they have a Rottie or Doberman at their side and demand money
etc., with the threat they will turn their attack dog loose on them.
Carrying a Handguns is Mandatory Imprisonment and Robbers and thieves are
now using dogs to threaten people.

NEW FILA OWNER ROCK ARKIE MARS PA.
A new Fila owner that bought two older dogs (male and female in the 6
month old range) decided after he had them a couple of weeks to take them
out for a walk. They were leashed and he stopped to talk with some
neighbors, not too concerned about temperament yet, and said the dogs sat
quietly at his side while he visited.
Everything was going fine until a car pulled up and its occupants came
walking toward them. Both Filas immediately started growling and tugging at
the leashes. The newcomers hesitated and stayed their distance. His
neighbor was so impressed by the dogs protective behavior that he followed
their owner back to his home to get some literature on the breed.
When they came to the front gate the owner casually reached out to hand one
of the leashes over to the neighbor in order to open the gate. The instance
the neighbor reached out for the leash the Fila went for the his groin,
assuming the neighbor was making an attack on his owner. Luckily it just
caught the man pants and no damage was done.
Even though this Fila owner had read up on the Fila and talked to other
Fila owners and breeders before he bought his dogs, he had never seen them
in action. He called up quite impressed at their lightning speed, courage
and protective instinct even at this young age. He also now said he
realized the responsibility of owning one.

Hunting with Your Fila by Glen Hunter of Hamden, OH
I am writing you in regards to the hunting ability of the Fila. I too
have talked to many breeders who say my Fila is not a hunting dog. That
Filas don’t hunt, but they are great protection dogs. I say there are a lot
of breeders that don’t know what they are breeding.
I have been hunting BIG GAME for seven years, Wild boar, Black Bear, and
Florida Gator’s. I purchased my Fila in 1995 at 10 weeks old. I wanted her
as a house dog, but one day I was out feeding my pigs and when they started
screeching here came Angel at 9 months old. She jumped a field fence and
grabbed my 500 pound sow by the nose and the ride was on. She was slammed
on the ground, but she still didn’t let go. I knew then that I had a "Boar
hunting Trainee". At this time Angel was 90 pounds.
So one Saturday I loaded up my boar dog, along with an Argentina Dogo, and
my Fila Angel jumped in the front seat with me. We went to Tar Hollow in
Vinton County, Ohio. Three hours later the hunt began. Angel was running
with the pack and it took about a half hour before the dogs picked up the
scent. I saw them running across a corn field and then vanish. By the time
I caught up with them Angel, my Fila and my other two dogs had a 240 pound
young male boar. Angel was baying the Boar until she heard me scream "GET
HIM", and she found her a place to grab. She got the crap beat out of her,
but she didn’t let go until I got my shot off. After that day I took her
out one last time and Angel got hurt on the front leg. From then on she
decided it was best to bay the Boar then to catch it. So PLEASE don’t tell
buyers of Filas that they won’t hunt. What you should say is "I DON’T HUNT
WITH MY FILAS".

TRACKING BY JEAN HEMPHILL
Splash leads me by the hand where she wants to go. She actually gets me
up in the morning and puts me to bed at night. She will take me walking
down our dirt road, if she wants to go for a walk. She will take me to the
green machine if she wants to go for a ride. (The Green Machine is a piece
of farm equipment).
Most of the time she takes me to the cookie cabinet (dog cookies). She is
so smart, if I or my husband won’t get up to give her a cookie, she will go
scratch on the back door to go potty. When I get up to let her out, she
will take my hand and lead me back to the cookie cabinet. She knows the
sure way to get us up is to act like she needs to go outside.
If you want to here a tracking story, or when "The Bloodhound came out in
Splash". We have chickens running around our yard. One day last week, I
saw a hen come from under a tree right in front of my living room window.
She had about 8 or 10 baby chicks with her, and she started flying and
attacking all three of my Filas.
The next morning I heard a baby peeping desperately. I went out to see,
and I found it all alone in some tall grass. Then I heard another one on
the back patio, and I put them both back in the nest under the tree, hoping
they would call the mother back to them. But she never came. I started
looking around the nest but all I found was a bunch of feathers.
Now, you need to know we irrigate our whole property using water from the
river, and we do this once a month. We had irrigated the day before, so the
area from our house to the street (about 70 or 80 feet) was about 10 inches
under water. I called the dogs to the nest and made them smell around.
Splash went crazy running up and down smelling around, and finally she
found the scent at the edge of the water. She then went along the edge of
the water all the way to the other side by the street until she picked up
the scent again, then she followed it across the street. I yelled at her to
get home, as they are not allowed by the street, and they know that very
well. I went out to the street to see what was bothering her and saw her
wet prints cross the street.
I then found perfect Coyote tracts across the newly finished black asphalt.
The coyotes feet were wet from our yard, and when he crossed the 10 to 15
feet of dirt on the shoulder of the road, he picked enough dirt to make
perfect tracts across the road. I followed them across and down the road to
the spot where Splash had stopped. There I found the rest of the feathers
from my hen. I wish I would have had my 3 Filas loose that night. It would
have been the end of missing hens and their chicks. Twice before something
had got to our hens and babies, but we always thought it was owls. Splash
proved we were wrong.
SOME FILA EXPERIENCES BY JEAN HEMPHILL, ARIZONA
A friend of ours told us that she has her Fila's with her just about all
the time. She owns a small business and even takes them to work with her.
One day she said she was bending over going through a box, and one of her
employees was standing next to her. Something fell off a shelf right above
her head and he made a quick move to grab it.
She said before either one of them knew what happened, her Fila had come
instantly from the couch where it was laying, and had taken hold of the mans
arm. The dog didn't bite, him, but had taken a firm grip on his arm,
protecting her. It released its hold on him as soon as she stood up and the
dog knew she was all right. I was in Atlanta one evening on business, and
Helen stayed home. At that time we had three Filas ,and they lived in the
house and on the front porch. As I mentioned we live in a remote area which
is heavily wooded. Helen was home alone and about 11 that evening she said
all the dogs started barking. Not a normal bark, but very ferocious
sounding.
She knew something was wrong and looked out the kitchen window and could
see the outline of two figures out by our generator room, where I keep
tools, chain saws etc. Helen called the police immediately, as we are a
half mile off the main road with nothing but woods around us. There was no
car to be seen, just the two men.
She said two Filas (Gabrial and Mariah) were patrolling the 6 foot wood
picket fence, while the other (Bianca) stayed right at the front door of the
house protecting the entrance. She said the dogs were actually signaling
each other and working as a pack protecting her. As the men moved off into
the darkness, Gabrial and Mariah move off to the side and then the back of
the house.
We have a basement door that is quarter inch steel welded to a giant steel
wood heater, but there is no latch on the outside of it, and no way of
getting in that way. The dogs must have known this, because they made no
attempt to protect this entrance. Even when Gabrial and Mariah were in the
back of the house, Bianca stayed faithfully at the front door (at full
attention with her hair straight up and in the protect mode) and would not
leave.
The police showed up about 20 minutes later and walked the woods with
flashlights, but never found anyone, and saw no car either, so the men must
have walked up. We never did find out who they were, but the dogs
definitely stopped a burglary or much worse.

DON’T UNDER ESTIMATE YOUR FILA BY M. DOWDY
I have to comment on Q’s Comments from issue 10 of Fila Talk. I think Mr.
Quy sold the Fila Breed short in his description. I’ve owned Filas since
1987 and attended many shows, temperament tests and working events. Mr. Quy
is correct when he says the Filas #1 job is to guard and protect its
property, and do this with undying loyalty to his owners, but there is more
to the breed than just that.
Go to the breed standard and you’ll read "He is well directed by instinct
to hunt big game and to do cattle herding". The correct Fila does have prey
drive, and usually a VERY strong prey drive. Prey drive is best described
as the instinct to seize a moving object; the desire to hold it is his
mouth, and to possess and dominate it. This is an inherited trait and not
learned behavior. The trait can clearly be seen even in young pups. Throw
a soft toy or knotted sock and watch them tear out after it. The retrieving
instinct is not strong in most Filas, so rather than bringing it back to
you, they usually grab the toy and run off with it and settle down in an out
of the way spot to chew it to bits. Some Filas may have weaker prey drives,
but among the hundreds of Filas I’ve seen I would say the strong prey drive
is the rule, not the exception. Since it’s inherited you can increase this
drive by careful selection of parents with strong prey drive.
It is the same force that motivates the Fila to possess and protect his
property and owners. The same drive that makes him the ideal guardian of
Brazilian cattle. The same force that keeps his nose to the track of the
blood trail of a wounded deer. I have talked to Fila owners that hunt with
their DOGS. Not as one would use a bird dog to find and flush out birds,
but as tracking dogs to trail and recover wounded game (usually deer). I’ve
known them to be used to hunt wild boar. In Brazil they are used in a pack
to trail Jaguar and to tree them for the hunter, or to kill the cat before
the hunters arrive (if you’ve ever seen your Fila attack something small and
furry you know there isn’t much left when they are finished).
As for the ability in schutzund or ring sport, many of them would do fine
in the agitation. The problems occur when the helpers refuse to take a hit
from the Fila. A Fila hits the "bad guy" a lot harder than most breeds.
They are also less likely to bite the sleeve, and show a great desire to
leap over or under the sleeve to bite the face of the "bad guy".
Since their first love is protecting their owners they don’t like to be
sent long distances across a field to attack, but prefer to stick close to
their owners in case the "bad guy" comes to close. This is the reason they
don’t chase deer into the next county, they return to check on their owner.
I do agree with Mr. Quy that the Fila may not be a good candidate for
search and rescue, but for different reasons. It isn’t that the dog won’t
search and find the missing person, but rather the response the person is
likely to receive once found. The correct temperament is a dislike for
strangers. When a lost person is found, they will most likely be overjoyed
to be rescued. This is often shown by grabbing the rescuer around the neck,
or hugging and kissing the rescue dog. Most Filas would not take kindly to
that sort of welcome by a stranger. Now if you are hunting an escaped
convict, or using the dog in a wartime situation (as the Brazilian’s have
done) the Fila is excellent for search and recovery work.
Filas and livestock is an area of great variance. As I understand it in
Brazil they are mostly used as guardians for the herd. Protecting from
Jaguars and other predators along with protecting the herdsman. Some dogs
are "catch dogs" and work as "bulldogs" catching or throwing the cattle to
the ground, allowing the cowboy to brand or doctor them whatever. Others
work as "drovers" acting to round up and drive the stock to other grazing
areas.
Most of the American Filas when given the chance to display their "cow"
ability fall into one of these categories. My male was a "catcher" When he
was given the herding test, he wanted to bunch the cows together and prevent
them from moving. When he was challenged from one of the cows, he grabbed
it by the nose and held on. I’ll bet with a little training he could have
been used to throw the cow to the ground. His herding instinct certificate
(HIC) reflects his ability as a "catch dog". Other dogs in the trials would
group the cows keeping them from moving around the pen. These dogs kept at
the heals of the cows rather then the heads and earned HCI’s for "Herding"
aptitude.
I also know of a Fila who was given a herding test on sheep. She showed
working ability that unsurpassed all of the Filas I’ve ever seen. She
worked like a Border Collie using the same "crouch" and "eye" on the sheep.
In fact she won a high in trial beating out Border Collies. She so
impressed the judges and spectators alike. Everyone asked how long she had
been working sheep, the reply "This is the first time she had been used with
any livestock". I agree this dog had instinct far above the average, but I
do believe many of the Filas (if not most ) if given the chance would pass
the HIC test even though they had never been around livestock. It isn’t so
much the training, but the natural inbred instinct.
I would encourage you to get out and attend one of the "working weekends"
with your Fila. Give them a chance to SHOW you what they will do with
livestock, tracking, weight pulling, obedience, and the temperament test.
If your dog doesn’t participate, you will have the chance to see other Filas
in action. You will be surprised at the versatility your dog has had all
along.
One last note, when I meet people with my dogs I tell them they are
Brazilian Filas F.I.L.A., just like the tennis shoe. No one has any problem
saying the name or understanding that they are related to the Mastiff or
Bloodhound. If they are still interested I go on and explain the origin of
the name is from the Portuguese verb "FILAR" which means "to seize or to
catch".
THE FILA AND THE MOLOSSUS DOG BY JAN LIBOREL
EDITOR OF HANDGUNS MAGAZINES
The Fila Brasileiro is often described as being one of the "Molosser"
breeds. This curious term comes from the belief that the Molossus dog of
the ancient Greeks and Romans was an ancestral mastiff. Some canine
historians suggest that the Neapolitan Mastiffs is the closest living
counterpart to the ancient Molossus dog - a belief that is almost certainly
false.
Despite a lot of romantic buncombe in various breed histories, I have never
been able to find any evidence that dogs were used for fighting in the Roman
arenas (except, perhaps, at the very end of the classical period). Nor, for
that matter, can I find any references to the practice of pit dog fighting
or baiting sports among the Greeks and Romans. I have never seen any
reference in any primary or reputable secondary source to the use of "War
Dogs" in Greek and Roman antiquity. (I might mention by way of establishing
my bona fides that I have a Ph.D. in ancient history, and taught the subject
on a university level for some years). The Molossi, after whom the
Molossus dog takes his name, were a people living in the mountainous roughly
around the border between modern Greece and Albania. There are no grounds
whatsoever for supposing that the huge (and very Fila like) dogs depicted on
the friezes of Assyrian kings centuries earlier were in any way identical or
closely related to the Molossus dog, although a great many dog books make
this statement.
The actual Molossus dog served actually the same functions as the Fila
historically as the Fila performed in Brazil –Guard dog work, livestock
protection and hunting. The first surviving literary reference to the
Molossus dog occurs in the Athenian comedian Arisophanes’ Thesmophriazusae
(line 416), in which the Molossus is referred to as a ferocious guard dog.
This comedy was staged in 411 B.C.
The greatest Roman poets referred to the Molossus dogs’ talents as
livestock herders and protectors and as hunters. Thus in Horace’s Sixth
Epode (lines 5-10) the Molossus and the very similar Laconian )Spartan)
hound are first described as a "friendly force for shepherds" ("amica vis
pastorbus") and as relentless trackers. Virgil likewise (Georgics III,
404-413) refers to the Molossian and Laconian dogs as both hunters and
livestock protectors.
FILA TALK contributor and columnist , John Quy, has remarked to me that
livestock protection and hunting ability were contradictory talents in a
dog, and it may well have been that there were two strains. Thus, aristotle
writes: Of the Molossian breed of dogs, such are as employed in the chase
are pretty much the same as those elsewhere; but the sheepdogs of this breed
are superior to the other in size and in the courage with which they face
the attacks of wild animals (History of Animals 608a, Revised Oxford
Translation, ed. Johathan Barnes, 1994)
The surviving literature makes it clear that the Molossus, was not a heavy
built dog on the order of the Neapolitan Mastiff. Thus, Lucan, writing
about AD. 64 (Pharsalia IV, 440) alludes to the levis Molossi. The basic
meaning of levis in Latin is "light", but it can also mean "swift" or
"nimble". None of these is an adjective one is likely to apply to a huge,
mastiff like dog.
At least some strains of the Molossus dog were sufficiently swift and
nimble that they were used for coursing hares. One of the most complete
descriptions of the breed is given by Aurilius Nemesianus (ca. A.D. 248) in
his poem on dogs and hunting. He advises choosing a bitch for breeding that
is a good runner, "tall, on straight legs" "with a firm belly" and her ultra
soft ears should flow back when she runs. Nemesianus advises culling in
favor of the puppies that promise to be swift runners and prescribes a
course of training starting the young dogs out on slow hares until the dog
is able to run down and kill the hare with full vigor.
There is no real evidence to suggest that the Molossus dog particullary
resembles or was in any way ancestral to today’s bull and mastiff breed.
This identification seems to come from Renaissance humanists, who made the
assumption that the famous Molossus dog of classical antiquity was one of
the same order as the sundry mastiffs that abounded in the Europe of their
day. This assumption was accepted by the great 18th century taxonmist
Linnaeus and has gone virtually unchallenged down to the present day.
In reality, the Molossus dog was evidently an "all purpose" dog very much
like the Fila, and it may have very well have resenbled the lightly built
Brazilian Filas such as the crop-eared dogs shown on Semencic’s Pit Bulls
and Tenacious Guard Dogs.
True "Mastiffs" are conspicuous by their absence from Greek and Roman art
(in contrast to the art of the ancient Mid East), but dogs resembling the
lightly built strains of the Fila are very common.
Whether the Molossus dog was in any way a direct ancestor of the Fila is
highly questionable. On the other hand, in terms of working ability and
very probably in physical conformation, the Fila – at least in its lighter
strains may very well be the closest living counterpart to this famous dog
of antiquity.

THE POLAR BEAR BY BARBARA HOLIDAY

One miserable day this past winter after having a flat, I decided it was
way past the time for a new set of tires for the truck. The nearest town is
about 100 miles round trip, so all errands and stops are lined up to save
where I can. My "Brooding Expressioned Companion" Fila Fair needed to go
to the vet on top of everything else, so she rode down to town in the
camper. She doesn’t get out very often and here in the woods we don’t have
any close neighbors, so it is usually and experience when we do go some
where.
First stop was the tire shop and I knew she couldn’t stay in the camper
when they put it up on the rack. Nobody touches her truck or even gets near
it, hope she outgrows that "touch my truck or you die mindset". Whenever
she goes to town I have to park in the far corner of the Wal-Mart lot and
hope nobody walks by. I really hate to take her in the shop with me, and I
am sure the poor salesman wasn’t all that happy with it either. He probably
thought it wouldn’t be to good for business to make an old lady and her
"puppy" stand outside in the rain when they put the tires on, so he said it
was OK to take her in the waiting room.
Fila sat quite on my feet, leaned all her weight on my legs and held onto
her lead (does anybody else’s Fila do this or does Fila Fair have some
strange quirk) until the salesman left and we started for the waiting room.
The tire shop has had this poor old stuffed Polar Bear in the corner ever
since I can remember. It has lost a lot of fur and isn’t even real white
anymore. She looked at the mounting base and part way up several times
while I talked to the sales man, but when we headed for the waiting room her
gaze went all the way up. When she saw the outstretched arms with the long
claws, and the big snarly mouth with yellow teeth and the glaring glass
eyes, she went into attack mode and it was all I could do to hold her. She
lunged over and over at the stuffed bear, and barked so loud I’m surprised
the windows didn’t crack. She had managed to drag me within a couple feet
of the poor old bear before I could get her stopped.
The strangest thing will spook Fila and her reaction is always the
same…hair up, tail up, charge. Fila is a pretty quiet dog, but when she
decides to pitch a hissy, only a person that has been around Filas would
recognize the uproar. Some of the men from out in the shop ran in to see
what the commotion was all about.
I finally got her calmed down to a deep low growl and we went to the back
of the waiting room and sat down. This has to rank up at the least with the
most embarrassing time of your life. She flopped down full length over my
feet and you could see she was trying to figure out what was going on. (and
probably wondering why big brother Jeb was not around when she really needed
help).
A little while later a distinguished older man came in and sat down by us.
She just looked at him and accepted the comment about nice dogs etc. He
opened the newspaper and that was the end of the conversation. I was just
about to get up and get a bag of Cheetos (Filas all time favorites) out of
the machine for her when the man stood up on his knees on the bench in back
of us, leaned over and started to ask what kind of …that’s as far as he got.
She was up in his face in a flash. I am sure he was a very nice man, but
the Fila never seen a man with a beard down to his chest and fluffy shoulder
length hair. She probably thought he was another animal after the Polar
Bear experience. The gentleman next to us has torn his paper and he got up
and moved. When we went out to get in the truck several men from the shop
came out and were watching and giggling… talk about breaking up the monotony
of a cold, rainy winters day. Somehow I got the feeling that the story
about that "Big Old Dog" was going to grow and improve with each telling as
time goes by.
Well that’s the polar bear story and now I will have to find a new tire
shop within the next couple of years. Fila Brasileiro’s are suppose to go
after Jaguars, but it seems they will go after polar bears, even stuffed
ones.
THE FILA, ULTIMATE GUARDIAN BY LISA FORD
What breed of dog is absolutely bred to be a farm dog and devoted Family
companion? Why, in my eyes, no other breed can even stand in the shadow of
the Fila Brasileiro. This breed was developed in Brazil, where the crime
rates are high and the people needed a large , strong, intelligent dog to
protect the estates (Fazendas).
The breed resembles a bloodhound and Mastiff cross giving it a massive
cuddly look. Don’t be fooled though, this is not a breed that will let a
stranger touch it s long soft ears or its semi-wrinkled face and neck. It
is no push over and cannot be bribed into being your friend. It has what
Brazilians call "OJERIZA" or a natural distrust of strangers. This fine
animal takes its job of home-guardian seriously.
Surely you can tell this breed is not for everyone. Although the breed is
not taken to wandering it should live where their is a sturdy or more
preferred by the Fila) in the home. This way strangers are protected from
walking into the dogs territory. After hearing all of this most people are
weary of purchasing such an intimidating protector. Good!
If you don’t think you can handle a breed that has this much natural talent
for it’s work then get a breed with a much more mellow temperament. But if
your still interested, this dog has much much more to offer.
In Brazil "filar" means to hold or secure. I believe this is describing
the dog’s heart. The devotion of the breed is legendary in its native
country. "Faithful as a Fila" is a Brazilian proverb. When alone in the
company of their owners, these dogs turn into comic clumps of adoration.
Their place is on your feet (on you lap if you can breath with 130-170
pounds of dog flesh). They are always alert to strange sound but are not
indifferent or aloof as are many of the guardian breeds. Their list of
Credits doesn’t stop here!
Filas are one of the few working rare breeds that are, in general, not
animal aggressive. Mine love to have baby lambs and goats fight for "King
of the Hill" on their backs. They are not usually used for flock guardians
however. Their love is for their Family first. They are also natural
drovers, able to move cows and sheep to and from pastures.
They have been used for hunting as well. Wildcats, boar, bear, and other
such adversaries have been successfully hunted with Filas. The job they
consider their number one priority is guarding their family and their
territory.
The breed standards include fawns, reds, bridles, black brindle, and the
occasional black. Minimum height for females is 24 inches weight 90 lbs.,
with males 27 inches and 110 lbs. Many Filas are in the 140 to 180 pound
range. The breed is extremely agile for its size, surprising onlookers by
its swiftness. The coat is short, dense, and easily maintained. The tail
and ears are left natural. The Fila ia athletic when you want to be , yet
content to lay by the fire for days on end.

PHIL REDI’S CHAKA

CHAKA is one of the largest boned, muscular Filas I’ve ever seen in person.
As a pup his crate weighed 66 pounds (at 9 weeks). A month ago his
temperament exploded before my eyes.
It was about 10:30 at night and I usually walk CHAKA at this time on our
regular route which is about one and a half miles around. Our walk came to
an end with about 4 blocks to go. CHAKA stopped and lifted his head to pick
up a scent. I told him "Lets Go, and it’s OK", but he wouldn’t budge.
There was a large camper on the street parked and I noticed CHAKA was
scenting from that area. I finally got him to continue walking, but he
seemed to still be suspicious. We were adjacent to the camper when an
individual came out from around the camper and all I remember is pulling
CHAKA on to the ground, which pulled the hell out of my shoulder. With a
loud clap of his teeth he leaped for this individual.
A "SPLIT SECOND" proved to me how agile, quick, and strong a dog his size
could perform within a 10th of a second. I see this person once in a while
and he always says to me "HEY, IS THAT HORSE STILL LOOKING FOR ME".

KEITH TAYLOR’S "PABLO"

I'm writing to tell you how happy I am that I bought my Fila from you, and
how pleased I am with PABLO. If anyone wants a large, beautiful,
intelligent, graceful sturdy and protective dog then buy one from Shoo-its
Mountain Filas.
On 7-9-96 I took PABLO to the vet to pick up heart worm pills . They had
to weigh him to see what size dosage to give him. He was 5 months and 1
week old. The last time he was there was 7 weeks earlier. At that time he
was 16 weeks old and weighed 64 pounds. On 7-19-96 he weighed 101 pounds!
He had gained 37 pounds in 7 weeks (over 6 pounds a week!)
At 5 months he is already heavier, taller, longer and has a bigger head
then my 3 year old male Rottweiler. love looking at the expressions on
peoples faces when I tell them he is only 5 months old. There eyes buck,
there jaws drop and usually they say "O....!
I have followed your feeding suggestions as much as possible. Looking at
what happened to the Rottie and Doberman (in breeding and over-breeding).
No one should sell their Fila pups for under $1000, not even pet quality
Filas. We are talking about the Rolls-Royce of dogs.
I've got a Great Dog from a Great Breeder and I am putting my money
together so I can get another one. VERY FEW PEOPLE OWN 2 ROLLS ROYCES! A
FILA FAN FOREVER.