Selection of the “Cinque Fontane”
A little bit of history

I will not go into technical details because there are many people that can offer important and valid material therefore I will only tell my story. Narrating 15 years of a journey, full of joy and sorrow and many sacrifices, for the love of a breed, which I believe to be extraordinary. Let’s start at the beginning. As I was saying, 15 years ago I realized, by chance, that there were these dogs that I kept seeing in town as well and in the country around town. The first thing I noticed, besides their physical aspect (which I will describe later on) was their character. They were extraordinarily balanced, completely sure of themselves and without unexplainable aggressivness. The first thing I did was go to a country house a little outside of Deliceto where I learned my first things about these animals that I found there. I was told they were “Can Corz”! It was therefore obvious that these people that owned such magnificent dogs didn’t know that what they had was soon going to turn into a trend and a grand business. They were however perfectly aware of the enormous potential that the dogs had as years working in the country. The first thing I noticed was the difference in their behavior away from their owners. The suspicious and unattached dogs that I saw walking around town became ferocious guards when one went near their territory. It was therefore impossible for strangers to enter the spaces that these big dogs guarded and even harder for them to enter into the stables that they protected. The first dogs that I saw were very big, their weight was probably around 60 kg but over the years I have seen even bigger ones, the rustic kind!! I was also fascinated by their eyes, which were very light. I was afraid just looking at them! Their ears were amputated and very short and I was told this was done as soon as they were born just like the Abruzzese mastiffs, which I also saw. After, as I was doing research, I also noticed that I usually ran into mostly striped dogs, as well as fawn and frumentini colored. It was therefore clear that the homogenous coats, such as the black, could be unthinkable, in dogs that moved around a lot and that came in contact with other breeds. This justifies how the coats mentioned above are almost all extinct or excluded from breeding. I have not found in the rustic type is the prognata closing that is popular right now. The dogs were almost always ortognati. The prognathism is a sign of modern selection that is wrong, that has caused a serious and degenerative defect, which is also confirmed by the fact that historically, in our areas, no such breeds have been found. Of all theses characteristics none have been found as of right now in our dogs. Dogs that I define as “Boxeroni” are the ones seen today in show, or in major pseudo breeding farms. Most of the traditional morphological aspects have been lost but even the current situation with their character is very preoccupying. The dogs right now have never seen a cow nor do they know how hard it is to work in a farm. The typical pride is absent just like the instinct to protect their property, herds and their actual owner. Can we therefore define the work of many estimators of this breed a work of recovery? Or is it just a commercial job? I hope that whoever reads these personal considerations is really interested in coming in contact with the word of the Corso dogs and finds his way. Don’t trust false publicity but document yourselves especially since today there are many places to find information. Research the history, the geography tied to their origins, the work they do, the photos of the older Corso and Mastiff dogs to understand, know and fall in love with, such as I have done, this magnificent breed. You will reach your own conclusions.