View source for Dogo Cubano

{{Short description|Extinct Cuban breed of dog}}
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{{Infobox Dogbreed
| country = [[Cuba]]
| image = DogoCubano2.jpg
| image_caption = 
| name = Dogo Cubano
| altname = {{ubl|Cuban Dog|Cuban Bloodhound|Cuban Bullmastiff}}
| extinct = true
|breeds=|stock=|landrace=|note=[[Rhodesian Ridgeback]] is the only standardized descendant}}

The '''{{lang|es|Dogo Cubano|italic=no}}''', also called the '''Cuban Bloodhound''' or '''Cuban Bullmastiff''', is an [[extinct]] Cuban [[dog breed|breed]] of domestic [[dog]]. It was of the [[Dogo (dog type)|dogo]] sub-type of the [[bullmastiff]] [[dog type]], which as a general class was used for [[bull-baiting]]{{r|morris|p=369}} and [[dog fighting]]. The variety was introduced in [[Cuba]] to capture [[runaway slave]]s ({{lang|es|cimarrones}}). After the [[Abolitionism|abolition of slavery]], they merged with other groups, losing their separate identity.

==Appearance==
They were between a [[bulldog]] and a [[mastiff]]<!--We mean these as general types, not specific breeds here.--> in size. The muzzle was short, broad, and abruptly truncated. The head was broad and flat, and the lips were deeply pendulous. The medium-sized ears were also partly pendulous, the tail rather short, cylindrical, and turned upwards and forwards towards the tip. They were described as a "rusty wolf-colour", with [[Melanistic mask|black face]], lips, and legs. They were notable for chasing slaves.<ref>{{CiteQ|Q51508295}}</ref> It is not known when the dog was considered a specific breed, but by 1803 it is described thus by [[Robert Dallas]]: "The animal is the size of a very large hound, with ears erect, which are usually cropped at the points; the nose more pointed, but widening very much towards the after-part of the jaw. His coat, or skin, is much harder than that of most dogs, and so must be the whole structure of the body, as the severe beatings he undergoes in training would kill any other species of dog."<ref name=":0" />

==History==
[[File:Richard Ansdell - The Hunted Slaves - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|[[Richard Ansdell]], ''The Hunted Slaves'', oil painting, 1861]]
The Cuban mastiff developed from several breeds of [[bulldog]]s, mastiffs and [[cattle dogs]], becoming an ideal fighter and property guardian. It is possible that some specimens of this breed were brought to America, where they were employed as [[Guard dog|watchdogs]]. They were also used as slave retrievers by the British during the [[Second Maroon War]], by the French during the [[Saint-Domingue expedition]], as well as the Americans in the Southern States.<ref name=":0">{{Cite Q|Q104033551}}</ref> The British Governor of [[Jamaica]], [[Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres]], sent emissaries to [[Havana]] in early 1795, to purchase 100 animals, after hearing of their successful use by the Spanish in chasing slaves and indigenous people in Cuba.<ref name=":0" /> Hundreds of hounds were supplied by Cuban breeders to the French during the [[Haitian Revolution]] in 1803.<ref name=":0" />

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=morris>Desmond Morris (2008). [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781570762192/page/369/mode/1up ''Dogs: The Ultimate Dictionary of Over 1,000 Dog Breeds'']. North Pomfret, Vermont: Trafalgar Square. {{ISBN|9781570764103}}, pages 369-370.</ref>
}}

{{Extinct breeds of dog}}
{{Cuban dogs}}

[[Category:Extinct dog breeds]]
[[Category:Dog fighting breeds]]
[[Category:Mastiffs]]
[[Category:Dog breeds originating in Cuba]]
[[Category:Extinct animals of Cuba]]
[[Category:Mammals of Cuba]]