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CAFIB - ESPANHA – 2025 - English

Spain continues to be the second country in the world, after Brazil, in the number of Phenotype and Temperament Analyses, as well as Exhibitions of Fila Brasileiro of CAFIB. The latter, held on 1 November, 2025, was the 20th organized in Spanish territory. It was conducted by the São Paulo architect Airton Campbell, one of the founders and most senior judges of CAFIB, assisted by his daughter, the veterinary doctor Mariana Campbell, also a longstanding member of our panel of judges and the current president of our entity. The 20th Exhibition of Fila Brasileiro CAFIB in Spain took place at Trust Resort Canino in Ondara, a municipality in the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community.

This former Kingdom of Valencia, also called the Valencian Country, is an autonomous Mediterranean community of Spain, located on the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The municipality of Ondara is well known for its rich history and culture, with one of its main attractions in the historic center being the Torre del Reloj, also called Castillo de Ondara, a tall stone fortress of Islamic origin that dates back to the 16th century. At the top of the artistic bell tower is the old clock that gives it its name, whose impressive mechanism is still working today.

Another important tourist attraction in Ondara is the Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Anna, built in the 14th century in the Gothic style and renovated several times over the centuries. It houses numerous works of religious art, such as paintings, sculptures, and retables, and continues to be an active place of worship where masses, weddings, and baptism ceremonies are held.

This CAFIB Exhibition was once again organized by Jaime Pérez Marhuenda, a Fila breeder in Alicante, a member of our panel of judges, and without a doubt the greatest promoter of the Brazilian breed abroad through technical articles and news in several media outlets. During this 20th Exhibition, CAFIB honored him with a commemorative plaque in recognition of his tireless work as our ambassador in Europe. It is worth reproducing here some information about him previously published by CAFIB.

“From a very young age, passionate about dogs and a student of cynology, especially of large guard Molossus breeds, Jaime Pérez became acquainted with the Fila Brasileiro in the early 1980s and, ten years later, acquired his first specimen from Minas Gerais. In the 1990s, he joined the board of CEMA (Club Español de los Molosos de Arena), an organization dedicated to the genetic improvement of large molossers. In 1994, he became a CAFIB member, began traveling to Brazil several times, and became our representative in Spain. Starting in 2005, he started promoting Phenotype and Temperament Analyses followed by Shows in his country, in accordance with CAFIB-Brazil regulations, with CAFIB judges invited to conduct these events. In 2006, he was one of the founders of CAFIBE – Club de Amigos del Fila Brasileiro en España, in the city of Alicante. This non-profit organization was created with the goal of defending the same values, principles, and mission that have always guided its Brazilian inspiration, CAFIB; and it arose as a result of the confusing uncertainty surrounding the Fila’s characteristics, caused by sudden changes to its breed standard by the FCI, which began to consider any display of aggression toward strangers in the show ring as a disqualifying fault (for all breeds). This severe punishment of the typical and original temperament reactions of the Fila Brasileiro, in Jaime’s opinion, ultimately completely distorted the breed’s character. Considering the proper official evaluation of guard dogs impossible and aiming primarily at the genetic improvement of the Fila, he resigned his credentials as an international judge from the parent organization of world cynology, as well as from the traditional Real Sociedad Canina de España. The latter association had been founded in 1911 as the Real Sociedad Central de Fomento de las Razas Caninas en España and, in 1912, received official recognition from the FCI (which had also been established the previous year in Belgium). However, Jaime continued to hold the position of treasurer of Sociedad Canina de Alicante and to serve as General Commissioner of las Exposiciones Nacionales e Internacionales de Alicante. Over time, he became a sort of ambassador for the Fila Brasileiro, and his Acaboclado Kennel sent specimens to the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, as well as several regions of Spain itself. From those early days, Jaime fondly remembers the lecture he gave on the Fila Brasileiro in the Czech Republic, at the invitation of Jan Kubesa, for judges and breeders of that country, followed by the judging of a specialized exhibition. He served as a judge at the main FCI shows in Europe and in the Americas, as well as at the CEMA molosser specialty shows, an organization in which, for more than a decade, he held the positions of vice-president, person in charge of Fila Brasileiro, and editor of the magazine that was then published regularly. Within the Club Español de los Molosos de Arena, Jaime was entrusted with advocating for the RSCE (Real Sociedad Canina de España) to recognize the pedigrees issued by CAFIB. After an exhaustive meeting held in Alicante, the seed was finally planted that resulted in the reopening of the Initial Registry and in the authorization for the registration of the so-called “CAFIB Filas” in the Spanish Stud Book (Libro de Orígenes Español). In addition to the Fila Brasileiro, Jaime also received FCI accreditation to judge another 11 molosser breeds: the Spanish Dogo Canario, Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, and Majorcan Presa Dog (or Ca de Bou in Catalan); the British Mastiff and Bullmastiff; the French Dogue de Bordeaux; the Italian Neapolitan Mastiff; the Japanese Tosa Inu; and the Soviet Central Asian Owtcharka and Caucasian Owtcharka.

”Jaime Pérez is the International Director of CAFIB–Brazil and continues to follow all of our rules and methodologies for the genetic improvement of the Fila Brasileiro within CAFIB-España. He has traveled to Brazil countless times to meet breeders and acquire puppies to improve the Spanish breeding stock. He has frequently judged our final show of the year, which determines the World Champions. And, in 2026, he is already scheduled to judge the CAFIB Fila in the Czech Republic, a country that has many enthusiasts of our breed.

At this 20th Exhibition of Fila Brasileiro CAFIB in Spain, we were also honored by the presence of our dear friend Inês Van Damme, who, by happy coincidence, was celebrating her birthday that very day. It is also worth recalling some information about her previously published by CAFIB.

“This cultured Dutch lady, a polyglot and a profound connoisseur of classical music – who has lived in Spain for many years, where, together with her late husband Pedro Van Damme, she founded the Los Tres Naranjos kennel – has traveled extensively around the world to gather information, collect data, take photographs, hear stories, and talk with breeders about the Fila Brasileiro, thus mining the raw material needed to write her books. Inês, a remarkable historian of the breed, has visited Brazil many times and, without question, her practical knowledge of our country is far greater than that of most Brazilians. Among the numerous photographs, both recent and unearthed from old files, that illustrate her works are images of pioneering breeders such as José Gomes, Pedrinho do Engenho, João Costa, several members of the Reis family, William Chalmers, and Paulo Santos Cruz, as well as of old rural properties in Minas Gerais, such as the historic Jaguara Farm, with its picturesque wooden kennels, dogs lying beside wood-burning stoves or being fed the traditional cornmeal angu mixed with milk, and photos showing the preparation of this food in iron pots over a fire lit in the farmyard. Alongside these, there are beautiful images of large cattle herds and Filas working with zebu cattle in the remote landscapes of Pará, swimming in ponds amid the pastures, lying in the shade of a mule tied to a fence, walking through corrals, and traveling along dirt roads on the beds of pickup trucks. The photographs also depict picturesque scenes of our country, with curiosities, especially for residents of the Northern Hemisphere, such as the capture of hematophagous bats that feed on the blood of cattle, horses, and mules on farms, as well as a portrait of the author at the foot of a colossal tree in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, eating cupuaçu, a juicy fruit found only in Brazil and which, having always been greatly appreciated by the Indigenous peoples, has preserved its original name in the Guarani language. It is truly admirable that this lady — with the aim of better knowing and understanding the history, past and present, of the Fila, as well as the practical conditions in which the breed is raised in Brazilian cities and farms — traveled alone along roads that were often precarious, sometimes dusty, sometimes muddy, bravely bouncing along in old Kombis and shared vans, or in archaic buses and roof cargo buses, through the most remote corners of this tropical country. In 1993, she published, in Dutch, the work titled “Fila Brasileiro.” Seven years later, she released, in Spanish, “El Gran Libro Del Fila Brasileño,” and in 2005, she published “Filas y Fazendas,” which also has editions translated into English and Italian. And, as if that were not enough, in a joint effort with the aforementioned Spanish Fila Brasileiro breeder Jaime Pérez Marhuenda, Inês founded Cafibe – Club de Amigos del Fila Brasileiro en España, in addition to serving as its first president. In 2023, during the 18th Exhibition of CAFIB in Spain, we presented her with a commemorative medal celebrating the 45^th anniversary of our organization’s founding.

Returning to this 20th Exhibition of Fila Brasileiro CAFIB in Spain, only 8 Filas were present, all typical and most with good temperament and nervous system stability. Before the judging, two specimens underwent the Phenotype and Temperament Analysis, and both were approved.

The main awards were:

BEST MALE: Heroe II de Sotondo, owned by Octavio Rodriguez Alonso (Aranda del Duero, Burgos)

BEST FEMALE: Uiara do Acaboclado, owned by Elvira Pizones (Alicante)

BEST HEAD: Heroe II de Sotondo, owned by Octavio Rodriguez Alonso (Aranda del Duero, Burgos)

BEST TEMPERAMENT: Tasia de Sotondo, owned by Octavio Rodriguez Alonso (Aranda del Duero, Burgos)

The impact of this event was huge. The photographs posted by Mariana Campbell on Facebook reached a record of 400 likes in just 5 days. And within the first week, the videos showing the temperament tests accumulated more than 10500 views and over 240 likes, attesting to the excellent moment CAFIB is experiencing, especially on the international scope.