They say that man’s best friend is his dog and this is a pretty universal law that is observed pretty much everywhere in the world unless of course you happen to be in certain territories in the Far East where man’s best friend is basically eaten .

There also seems to be an increasing number of dog breed varieties that can be found. Unsurprisingly, many of these native breeds reflect the conditions and environments from which they come.

Here in Galicia they have four quite rare breeds. These are the Galician Hound of Galician (Palleiros) also known as the Celtic Shepherd – the Celtic Shepherd, the Galician Pointer (el Perdiqueiro Galego), the Galician Hound (Podengo Galego) and the Galician Quisquelo also known as the Guicho.

Man’s best friends in Galicia are looked after by the interests of the Sociedade Canina Galega or Club Canino de Galicia and they take the whole business of caring for their rare breeds very seriously.

However: Let’s take a brief look at the individual races themselves.

First, let’s take a look at the Galician Barn Dog. Palleiros are strongly built dogs and many have taken a liking to wolves, which they definitely are not. They basically come in four colors: wheat, cinnamon, brown and black. Basically, the Galicians would have bred the Celtic Shepherd as an all-purpose farm dog. They were used for grazing, cattle watching, and hunting. In terms of temperament, they are intelligent dogs, calm but reserved to strangers. They can be gentle and loyal and can get along with children and sometimes other animals.

The Galician Pointer shares a common lineage with the Portuguese, Spanish and English Pointers. In fact, the modern Galician Pointer breed as we know it was bred and developed in the late 1970s through crossbreeding with German and English Pointers. They have short, rough fur that can be white, brindle, orange, or black, or frankly, any combination of the above. As for temperament, they are friendly, playful and intelligent, quick to learn. This is how they say that it is an active breed that requires a lot of exercise.

The Podenco Gallego was saved from extinction in 1999 thanks to a government plan to promote the indigenous dog breeds of Galicia. The usual color of the coat varies from reddish to sandy with white spots on the chest, forehead, tail and legs.

Finally we arrive at Quisquelo Gallego. This is probably the oldest of all coffee weeding greetings and is in fact believed to share a common lineage with Welsh coffee in the Swedish Vallhund. These speaks were originally bred for hunting small animals such as rabbits, foxes and some wild boars. They are active and extremely athletic dogs despite their short legs. The usual color of the coat varies from brown to cinnamon.

So here’s a rough guide to some of Galicia’s rare dog breeds, so the next time you’re there and see a dog on the street, you might have more than a passing idea of ​​what it really is.