I Cani della Masseria

THE FARM HOUSE DOGS

(translation by Cocci & Federico)

When walking in southern Molise or in the Puglia, you can still meet old people talking about Cane Corso defining it as “the farm house dog”. This definition should be intended from a generical point of view. In fact, the different activities carried out in the farm house, with very diversified branches of production, required particular skills and capabilities which were not always owned by one and only race of dogs.

A typical farm house, therefore, employed different races of dogs (and/or different stocks of the same race) according to criteria which were based on the knowledge of the most dominating capacities of each race, or stock, or even of each single dog.

A well defined task was assigned to each dog, in consideration of its characteristics. Dogs belonging to different races were employed all together when a sinergy among the “different specializations” was needed in order to hit the target.

The farm played a leading role in the agricultural economy of the country environment. It behaved like a real firm, owning production, self management and self supporting means.

Farms usually had very differentiated production trends [zootechniques (cows, pigs, sheep, horses) wheat culture, agriculture…]. However, farms also produced and bred everything necessary to ensure such independence in the production, management and self-support. It appears, therefore, evident how such a variety of activities required dogs whose work characteristics were so diversified.

The working activities carried out in the farms well represented the millenarian man-animal-work relationship.

The working animals were horses, donkeys, mules, cows and dogs. While dogs have always worked “with” men, cows and horses have always worked “for” men.

In the farms, the works to be done by men were effected by “gualani” (cattlemen), countrymen, muleteers, stablemen, shepherds, “ciucciari” (donkey-drivers) and farmers. Nevertheless, each of these working people could, if necessary, be requested to give their contribution out of their specialization. The same principle was applied to dogs as well. These dogs were: Cane Corso, mastiffs, pomeranian dogs and south greyhounds.

Cane Corso helped cattlemen (gualani) to control the cattle, both when they “worked” or at the end of the day, when they were grazing in the meadows or ruminating in their stables.

Horses were normally used as “fast” draught animals. On the contrary, mules were preferred in case of uneven roads, as their behaviour is usually calmer and more reliable to avoid a cart to turn over.

Mules were hard workers, tough and extremely strong animals, with poor feeding and stabling exigencies. Sometimes, however, when they answered to the goads of the muleteers with kicks and bites, the intervention of Cane Corso was resolving, since mules dreaded this dog even more than men. Muleteers made a distinction between “Corso Gentile” and “Cane Corso”. The first one owned lips with a thinner skin , and was more easily wounded in case of fighting.

In the horse reproduction, the human control was imperative while in the mounting “a mano”, the coupling was directed by the groom, who was always helped by small pomeranian dogs, in order to prevent rats from entering the stables and keep the horses calm.

The watch services were carried out by a guardian, who used to ride around the farm together with a strong Cane Corso, taking a double-barrelled shot-gun (dduie botte) and a cartridge belt (patruncine). He had to keep plundering animals, such as badgers, weasels, foxes, wild dogs, etc., away from the cultivated areas.

While making his rounds, the guardian was accompanied by several dogs. These areas became real battlegrounds since Cane Corso used to attack all intruders, thus reducing the losses of the forthcoming harvest. The vineyards were a favourite target of foxes. When they were extremely numerous, the guardian organized a real hunting, with the help of Cane Corso, greyhounds and bloodhounds. Dogs were untied and set on the fox, and the guardian just observed what was going on, from a higher point.

When the fox was found by the bloodhounds or seen by the greyhounds, it had no way to escape from the herd: bloodhounds and greyhounds followed it and Cane Corso cut across its way, then blocking and tearing it to pieces.

In the small vineyards, Cane Corso was taught to walk a half-circumference of the yard, while the guardian covered the remaining half, then joining together at the starting point.

During ploughing time, each muleteer (or horseman) was accompanied by a pomeranian dog, who remained by the packsaddle (“varda”) so to keep a close watch over the bag containing the muleteer’s meal (bread, cheese or salami, vegetables and a wine flask made with a dried and emptied pumpkin), and over the mules’ fodder. The pomeranian dog kept mice, rats and snakes away from the bag, and barked when people or animals were approaching.

In winter time, muleteers used to gather firewood (“fare legna”): they cut the wood into pieces and loaded them on the mules up to the farmhouse. Whenever the morphology of the surrounding countryside allowed it, wood was gathered inside particular areas named “spannature”. They were formed by the confluence of two streams, where logs and branches ran aground. Before gathering the wood, dogs were set on any possible animal which could hide in there, so to send them away.

In such environment, dogs often captured otters. In this case, they were immediately called back, and the fur of the otter was sold to saddle-makers, for the decoration of horse harness.

In the way back to the farm house, the burden of wood on each mule could easily reach 100 kilos or more. When the ground was particularly uneven, the mules ran often away. In such event, Cane Corso was extremely precious: it approached the mules stealthily, caught their bridles and led them back to the muleteers.

Mice and rats were severe enemies of the harvest and of the barns. They were very numerous because of their extreme prolificacy and could slip in almost everywhere.

Another threat was represented by the monstruous appetite of the field mice. They greatly damaged the cereal crops (eating the green parts and the unripe caryopsis) and the apple trees (eating the outer parts of their roots). Oak mice were also very dangerous: they chewed every kind of fruits and seeds.

Against the plague represented by all these rodents, traps were employed together with the help of pomeranian dogs, who were very clever in catching mice.

Once caught, they were put in a bag and taken to the farm where, in the presence of the farmer, they were first numbered and then given to be eaten to the dogs (Corsos and mastiffs) either to eliminate them and……to avoid that “the hunter that brought them”, who had the right of some money for each rodent, could bring the same rodents the subsequent day.

Black and grey rats (or “surmolotti in Italian language”, whose females could generate nearly 20 puppies every 6 weeks) were particularly active into the barns. Usually, the farmer helper, armed with “caravascia” (a whip made of plaited strings) and accompanied by a Pomeranian and a Corso, entered suddenly into the barn and, in the dark, hit the ground with violent lashes that killed the rodents and make run away the others scared by the whip rumors; after that the Pomeranian and the Corso started the chase and the killing of the remaining rodents. The killed rodents were given to the dogs to be eaten so they could have been used to that taste and chase spontaneously the rats.

Guard and hunting, were other tasks of the barn dogs. To this tasks were used different breeds: Corso, Pomeranian, Abruzzese Mastiff, south Greyhound and blood-hound: this was a good way to assure a good alarm and defense system in the same time. The hunt with the barn’s dogs was addressed to all the wild animals but more mainly, as said before, to all of them who could have damaged the cultivations and to the cattle.

For the hare and wild rabbit hunt, were used the blood-hound and the grey hound. Hare hunt – one of the farmer’s favorite occupations – was made riding horses: the hare, besides being very good in hiding its traces, is able to reach nearly 70 km/h so it was needed sharp and fast dogs as the grey hound and the blood-hound. For the wild rabbit, which its famous fecundity made necessary drastic measures to contain a potentially noxious numerousness, the farmers armed only with a stick, was used the Pomeranian.

Other shooting parties were organized to prevent the damages of the wild boars. The strategies and the techniques were different according to the place but, always, Corsos, blood-hounds and grey hounds were used. Besides avoiding possible damages, this hunt assured a worthy…culinary ending!

For the cultivation guard, country guards watched over accompanied by Corsos. During their work, they used to improvise, thanks to the presence of the Corsos, the badger hunt. The badger was very appreciated for its meat and for its skin which was given as a present to the farmers who used the hair as a “well wisher” hanging it on the main door of their houses, on the wagon, as decoration on the horse’s bridles or on the corsos’ collar: it was believed that it could chase away the bad luck even if, actually, those hair had the function to keep away flies and mosquitoes.

Often, the farm confined with big forests that functioned as a sort of “natural larder”. Fauna was variegated and it was not infrequent for the farm dogs to go hunting alone seeking eating what they always could catch.

Particularly ferocious fights were joined against porcupines and often some dogs did not came back because of the wounds. Inside the forest Corsos were unbeatable against porcupines. It had a particular technique, surprising the porcupine trying to bite its nose. The hedgehog on the contrary, even if object of dogs’ hunt (they had to catch them before their closing), despite their tender and tasty meat, were protected because it was able to exterminate insects, mice and other dangerous animals. If a dog were seen chasing a hedgehog it was called back and the hedgehog were taken and put in the stable or in the farm’s barn.

The dogs were fed at dusk in a shared trough and it was constituted, most of the times, by chaff mixed with serum and pieces of cooked meat. In the births period they were been given even the placenta to eat. They was usually fed even with the meat of big animals (bovine’s for example), taken after accidental death and not drained of blood in time. In any case, in that habitat, the food given by the humans was always integrated by everything the dogs could catch for themselves (fruits and preys of various nature).

The night did not stop the dog’s job: it was the time of the guard turn in the whole farm that was “patrolled” near the habitation, the farm-yard, the “grasceta” (field on the border of the building that made possible a spontaneous pasture), near the hedges and the avenues, trusting in their senses of smell and hearing to locate in the dark the presence of predators (often humans!) attracted by the animals of the farm (chickens, rabbits, gooses, guinea-fowls, pigeons, peahens, ducks and turkeys). Most of the times the predators were foxes, martens, weasels, skunks, lynxes, snakes (seeking for eggs) and wild cats. Despite its small size, the weasel was particularly brave and courageous but, even if able to defend itself from, the attack of bigger animals, had nothing to do against the mastiffs or against the corsos. In particular, the corsos were ferocious against foxes that, when it could not avoid to be seen by the “watcher”, was regularly devoured.

The rumors made by the fights, interrupted the rest necessary to the farmer and the workers to begin a new day of work; in spite of this, their fulfillment towards the dogs was total: the farm was in “good jaws” and could have sleep in complete tranquility!