We are members of The Estrela Mountain Dog Club (UK)
Cassandra of Sturtmoor - DOB: 14 May 1974
Some historic paper clippings from the early Sturtmoor days:
How Sturtmoor Started
by
Marcia Dovey
"I met the Estrela Mountain Dog, as it became in the UK, in 1974 and it was to be one of the best days of my life. I was showing Pyrenean Mountain Dogs at the time and I saw an advertisement in our dog paper for a Portuguese Mountain Dog, what was that ??? The advert said that there was a bitch in quarantine expecting puppies and you could go to visit so off I went. As it was only about one hour from where I lived I decided to go and then I could write a piece for the Pyrenean newsletter, I never did write it.
I arrived at the quarantine kennels and was shown into a run, there was a fairly big dog with a lovely red colour stood with her bum to me, I later learnt that this was Roger Pye's Rogean Alexandra or Baby as we knew her. Pretty colour I thought, and then she turned and looked at me, there was so much wisdom in those eyes, I was hooked. A few days later Baby gave birth to 7 pups, 5 boys and 2 girls, I visited when they were 10 days old and booked a dog puppy, I had to have one of these beautiful dogs. At this time I did not tell my husband about the pup. I visited again when they were 4 weeks and as I arrived there was a bitch puppy sitting in front of the box guarding her mum and siblings, she had to be mine, my husband still didn't know. The arrangement was that Baby would go back to Portugal when the pups were 8 weeks old and the pups would go to their new homes and then the Portuguese revolution started (25th April). It was not very hopeful that Baby could go home so I told Roger that it would be no problem for her to come to us but at the last minute Roger found a way to get her home.
There were 2 pups which had not sold so I decided that I would bring them home as well so 10 weeks after meeting the Estrela for the first time I had 4 of them. I soon found homes for the other 2 and so Cerberus of Sturtmoor (Kali) and Cassandra of Sturtmoor (Maya) became our foundation dogs. So Sturtmoor was born and became the first known breeding kennel of registered Cão Da Serra Da Estrela in the world outside of Portugal.
In 1974 I came to Portugal and met a breed which was to be my passion for life, which is the type of Estrela that I am trying to breed today. The type was wonderful, a large, strong dog with the most gentle of heads and expression. Throughout the world we have had some successes and failures and I think we must all be careful to try to breed a dog that is how history developed them, not as we would like them. Breeding this ancient breed is a great responsibility and I can never thank our Portuguese friends enough for all the help and support they give me. Portugal has become part of me and I always cry when I see those beautiful mountains appear. I hope that my love affair with the Serra will go on for the rest of my life and that I can visit my favourite place in the world for many years to come."
by
Marcia Dovey
"I met the Estrela Mountain Dog, as it became in the UK, in 1974 and it was to be one of the best days of my life. I was showing Pyrenean Mountain Dogs at the time and I saw an advertisement in our dog paper for a Portuguese Mountain Dog, what was that ??? The advert said that there was a bitch in quarantine expecting puppies and you could go to visit so off I went. As it was only about one hour from where I lived I decided to go and then I could write a piece for the Pyrenean newsletter, I never did write it.
I arrived at the quarantine kennels and was shown into a run, there was a fairly big dog with a lovely red colour stood with her bum to me, I later learnt that this was Roger Pye's Rogean Alexandra or Baby as we knew her. Pretty colour I thought, and then she turned and looked at me, there was so much wisdom in those eyes, I was hooked. A few days later Baby gave birth to 7 pups, 5 boys and 2 girls, I visited when they were 10 days old and booked a dog puppy, I had to have one of these beautiful dogs. At this time I did not tell my husband about the pup. I visited again when they were 4 weeks and as I arrived there was a bitch puppy sitting in front of the box guarding her mum and siblings, she had to be mine, my husband still didn't know. The arrangement was that Baby would go back to Portugal when the pups were 8 weeks old and the pups would go to their new homes and then the Portuguese revolution started (25th April). It was not very hopeful that Baby could go home so I told Roger that it would be no problem for her to come to us but at the last minute Roger found a way to get her home.
There were 2 pups which had not sold so I decided that I would bring them home as well so 10 weeks after meeting the Estrela for the first time I had 4 of them. I soon found homes for the other 2 and so Cerberus of Sturtmoor (Kali) and Cassandra of Sturtmoor (Maya) became our foundation dogs. So Sturtmoor was born and became the first known breeding kennel of registered Cão Da Serra Da Estrela in the world outside of Portugal.
In 1974 I came to Portugal and met a breed which was to be my passion for life, which is the type of Estrela that I am trying to breed today. The type was wonderful, a large, strong dog with the most gentle of heads and expression. Throughout the world we have had some successes and failures and I think we must all be careful to try to breed a dog that is how history developed them, not as we would like them. Breeding this ancient breed is a great responsibility and I can never thank our Portuguese friends enough for all the help and support they give me. Portugal has become part of me and I always cry when I see those beautiful mountains appear. I hope that my love affair with the Serra will go on for the rest of my life and that I can visit my favourite place in the world for many years to come."
