Vale de Areal, the home of De Gifford dogs
Vale de Areal, the home
of De Gifford dogs
AUGUSTO GUIMARÃES
At the age of ten, Augusto Guimarães acquired his first dog, a Portuguese Water Dog. In his teens and later as a young man, he met Vasco Bensaude (Algarbiorum Kennels) and Conchita Cintron (Al-Gharb Kennels). They each exerted a strong influence on Senhor Guimarães and Ms Cintron and Senhor Guimarães have remained friends over these many years.
A fluent linguist, Senhor Guimarães attended college in England and graduated with a degree in textile engineering. A war veteran in Angola, where as a captain he served 5 years in the Portuguese Army. Before his retirement, he was an advertising executive for Lever Brothers and Lufthansa.
Augusto Guimarães at home with his PWDs
Guimarães is a founding member of the Club Portuguese de Canicultura. He is also the founding member and first president of the Clube Do Cao De Companhia De Portugal. In 1993, the Clube Do Cao De Companhia De Portugal recognized him for his lifetime achievements, contributions and dedication by electing him as Honorary President. He organized the first opthamoloscopic examination clinic in Portugal in 1994 allowing breeders in conjunction with the Canine Eye Registry Foundation. Dr. James Clinton traveled to Portugal from the United States to conduct the exams in conjunction with the Portuguese veterinarian, De. Neiva Correia. Democrate De Gifford and Eurico De Gifford, the only two dogs in Portugal to have ever traveled to the United States to undergo and successfully complete the rigorous health tests (GM-1, OFA and ERG) necessary to ensure quality offspring without recessive gene traits or disease, are owned by Guimarães and were the first dogs in Portugal to be tested.
A typical PWD's litter of De Gifford puppies
For over fifty years Guimarães has dedicated his life to to stray, abandoned, unregistered and registered dogs. All of them, old and young alike, live with him in his stately home, Vale de Areal, overlooking the coast in Quinta da Marinha, Cascais. He is a serious breeder that has bred countless champions of multiple breeds in Portugal and abroad. Today, he has turned his attention to the selective breeding of the Cao de Água (Portuguese Water Dog) and the intrinsic study of genetics.
By Guy R. Martino, September 1999