The Can de Chira (also known as the perro pastor altoaragonés) is a breed of

herding dog A herding dog, also known as a stock dog, shepherd dog, sheep dog or working dog, is a type of dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to breeds that are developed for herding. Herding behavior All herding behavior is mo ...

from the

High Aragon Alto Aragon (literally, ''Upper Aragon'' or ''Highlands of Aragon'' in English; compare Upper Navarre, Upper Rioja) is the northernmost territories or highlands of Aragon, flanking the Pyrenees and includes the Aneto Mountain, the highest peak ...

region of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Accounts of similar dogs used by Spanish graziers to herd

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

(in Aragonese "Can de Chira" literally it means "dog for turn" or "return the cattle") date back several centuries, the oldest photographs date from the early 19th century. The breed appears to have originated in the

Province of Huesca Huesca ( an, Uesca, ca, Osca), officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca. Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Haute-G ...

but has spread to adjacent regions, but the breed remains centered in

Sobrarbe Sobrarbe is one of the comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain. Many of its people speak the Aragonese language locally known as ''fabla''. Th ...

References

External links

The perro pastor aragonés

Blog about Can de Chira

The Adventures of Fato and Mora

Report broadcast on TV about Can de Chira
Dog breeds originating in Aragon Herding dogs {{Dog-stub

See also

References

External links