2nd edition, revised · September 2024
The definitive book on the Presa Canario
Fifty years of history, controversy and selection, told by the man who brought the breed back from oblivion. No polish and no cheap marketing: documents, articles and first-hand experience.
A dedicated copy · Shipping in Spain and worldwide · Secure payment
- More than 450 pages of real content
- · Manuel Curtó Gracia · Irema Curtó
Who is this book for?
If you care about the Presa Canario, this is not just another book
It is for anyone who is not satisfied with the short version of the breed, or with handsome photos on social media. For anyone who wants to understand what actually happened in the Canary Islands: before, during and after official recognition.
Breeders, and people who mean to breed
Understand where the Presa really comes from, the mistakes that have been made, the crosses, the frauds, and what it actually means to select a working line.
Serious students of the breed
If you own a Presa Canario, or hope to, this is the breed without the filter: its history, its job, its character and the real problems of keeping it.
Historians and people who love dogs
Council records, newspaper articles, letters and testimony that have rarely been gathered in a single volume.
What you will find inside
Five parts to understand the Presa Canario from the root
It is not a training manual. It is a historical, genetic and ethical portrait of a breed built against the current.
- Part one
The dogs of the Guanches and the conquerors
The origin of the name Canaria, dogs in Guanche myth and cult, and the first ordinances that mention presa dogs.
- Part two
Birth, fraud and the fight for the Presa Canario
Key articles on the breed, the Spanish club, the shows, prognathism, and an open denunciation of the fraud around the Presa.
- Part three
Testimony from the people who lived it
Interviews with historical figures, goatherds and breeders who lived with the presa dogs of the land before any official standard existed.
- Part four
Selection, function and the future of the breed
Differences between types, selection, hip dysplasia, real working ability, the importance of brood bitches, and what it takes to breed with quality.
- Part five
Irema Curtó and presas around the world
Stories of Irema Curtó presas in different countries, journeys, letters, and an unapologetic defence of the functional Presa Canario.
About the author
Manuel Curtó Gracia
Breeder, journalist, polemicist and a direct witness to the rebirth of the Presa Canario. From the 1970s he travelled the islands talking to shepherds, goatherds and old fanciers to reconstruct the history of the presa dog of the land.
Founder of Irema Curtó, one of the names that carries weight when people speak of a functional Presa Canario. He has spent his life selecting, documenting and defending the breed beyond fashion, commercial interest and political decisions.
This book is his written legacy: the uncomfortable, honest account of what happened to the Presa Canario in the Canary Islands.
What your purchase includes
You are not buying a book. You are buying context.
A premium printed edition
- Quality paper and careful design
- More than 450 pages of articles, letters and documents
- Historical photographs of dogs, people and decisive moments
Updated contents
- Second edition, revised in 2024
- Notes and clarifications added by the author and the editor
- Context for the breed as it stands today
Spanish or English
- Choose Spanish or English
- Made to share with breeders in other countries
- A serious gift for anyone who cares about the Presa Canario
Questions
Before you order
- Is it a technical book or a history?
- Both. It is not a training manual. It is history, opinion, documented accusations, letters and reflections on selection and on the future of the Presa Canario.
- What is different about this second edition?
- The second edition, revised in 2024, adds corrections, nuance and clarifications from the author, and brings the context up to date for a reader today.
- Do you ship internationally?
- Yes. We ship to Spain and to several countries in Europe and the Americas (the list is in the terms of sale). You see the shipping cost before you pay. Delivery is within 30 days. Outside the Canary Islands there may be taxes or customs charges at the destination: we explain them in the terms of sale.
- Can I order several copies for a kennel or a club?
- Yes. You can change the quantity at checkout. For a large order for a club or an association, write to us and we'll arrange it.
Don't let someone else tell you the history of the Presa
Read it from the man who lived it. If the Presa Canario is part of your life, this book belongs on your shelf.
Prefer to ask first? Write to us.