Historic photo showing a Can de Chira (right) and a mastiff (left)

The Can de Chira or Perro pastor altoaragonés is a Spanish breed of herding dog from the mountainous Alto Aragon region in the northern part of the autonomous community of Aragon, in north-eastern Spain.[1]: 522 [2]: 11 

Accounts of similar dogs used by Spanish graziers to herd sheep and cattle date back several centuries; the earliest photographs date from the early twentieth century.[1]: 522 [2]: 11  The Can de Chira was formerly widely distributed in the Province of Huesca and in neighbouring areas;[1]: 522 [2]: 11  it was used by the shepherds of Aragon, and by those of Navarre, Occitanie and Catalonia.[3]: 93  In the twenty-first century the small number of remaining animals are concentrated principally in the comarcas of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe.[1]: 522 [2]: 11 

References

  1. ^ a b c d Ricardo Azón Pardo, Rafael Escar Tabueña, Rosa Avellanet Torres (2009). Can de Chira. In: Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. ISBN 9788449109461, pages 521–523.
  2. ^ a b c d Mariano Gómez (November 2004). Los perros de pastor autóctonos y los concursos de habilidad de perros de pastor (in Spanish). Pequeños Ruminantes. 5 (3): 10–13. Zaragoza: Sociedad Española de Ovinotecnia y Caprinotecnia.
  3. ^ Rafael Vidaller Tricas (2010). Encuestas de lecsico natural 2005–2010. Luenga & fablas: publicazión añal de rechiras, treballos e decumentazión arredol de l'aragonés ea suya literatura (in Aragonese). (14): 73–103. ISSN 1137-8328.