Rare Dogs Popular For Wrong Reasons

The mauling to death of a San Francisco woman by two powerfully built dogs last month has prompted a disturbing increase in interest in a rare breed called the Canary Island, some breeders say.

Diane Whipple, 33, was attacked outside her apartment door by two animals that authorities say had been trained by white supremacists to guard illegal drug labs. Both dogs were mastiff-Canary Island mixes.

Since then, Irina Vyatkin of the Red Star Kennel in Hudson, Wisconsin, said she has gotten more inquiries about Canary Island puppies, which sell for up to $2,500.

"Usually with those kind of people, I can pretty much tell what they're up to," she said. "Usually the first question is, 'What is their character like?' Then they'll quickly ask you, 'How much?' I come across a lot of people who call for all the wrong reasons."

Mac Harris of Ozone Park, New York, said he stopped breeding the dogs three years ago because he suspected people wanted them for nefarious purposes.

"I would get calls from people asking, 'Are they good fighters? Can they take down a pit bull?'" Harris said.

The dogs, also known as Presa Canario, were developed in Spain to guard cattle for farming.

Breeders estimate there are no more than a few thousand in the United States. Males can weigh as much as 140 pounds, while females are in the 110 to 120-pound range. The dogs are about 27 inches tall at the shoulder, about the same height as a Doberman pinscher.

The animals involved in the attack in San Francisco were being cared for by two lawyers, who could face manslaughter charges if prosecutors conclude the couple knew the dogs were dangerous.

Properly trained, the breed is safe, experts say. But "evil people produce bad dogs," said Harris, a father of two teen-agers who owns four of the dogs. "There's never been any type of bad incident with the dogs trying to bite me or my kids."

While Presa Canarios are imposing, "so much of the recent notoriety is unfounded," said Richard Kelly, owner of Show Stopper Kennels in Middlesex, New Jersey. "People find that once they meet the dogs, they're just fine."

In a study released in September, the American Veterinary Medical Association listed Rottweilers as America's deadliest dog breed, killing 33 humans between 1991 and 1998. Pit bulls were involved in 21 fatal attacks over the same period. The study did not list any killings by Presa Canarios.

But researchers cautioned the breakdown does not necessarily indicate which dogs are most dangerous because it is hard to determine how many of each type of dog Americans own.

Kelly stressed that it is important for Presa Canarios and their owners to take part in obedience training.

"They have to know they're subservient to the owner and children in the household," he said. "If a dog is allwed to get the upper hand, it becomes unmanageable."

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