Tater is the newest 4-legged addition to Falling Water Farm’s family. He is a beautiful, black Fila Brasiliero, a breed that originated in Brazil and is in fact, Brazil’s national dog. The famous Brazilian proverb “As Faithful as a Fila dog” has originated in reference to the immense loyalty shown by this breed. Black Filas were rare, but in recent years have grown in popularity and in numbers.
Being a descendant of the Bloodhound, Bulldog, Rrafeiros and the 15thcentury English Mastiff, this Molosser breed is characterized by a rectangular body, long, heavy muzzle, thick neck, loosely hanging skin, large tapering ears and a short, smooth coat. The original breed standard called for males to be no more than 135lbs but breeders in the US have routinely been producing much larger dogs. ‘Tater’s sire weighs in at around 200lbs and his dam is roughly 160lbs.
This breed was developed to keep a watch on the plantation farms and chase animals while they were fleeing away. Their good tracking ability enabled them to hold on to their prey till their masters arrived. Being bold and courageous, the Fila exhibits complete loyalty and faithfulness towards its owners,
Fila’s are known for being excellent watch dogs. The only thing that ‘Tater fiercely guards however, is his ‘jolly’ ball which is ironic considering ‘Tater stole the ball from Cafe, a lusitano stallion.