Some 30 years after Vasco Bensaude began his quest to save the Portuguese Water Dog breed, he was introduced to the woman who would who end up ensuring the true survival & success of the PWD. Her name was Senhorra Conchita Cintron de Costello Branco, a renowned lady bullfighter, horsewoman, and diplomat.

Bensaude had placed many dogs with trusted friends, but he had never encountered anyone who he trusted enough to leave his dogs with, until he met Cintron.

After his death in 1967, Cintron, quite to her surprise, was entrusted with all 14 remaining dogs of Bensaude’s Algarbiorum Kennels, along with boxes full of archives.

After some initial concern, Cintron decided to accept the responsibility. Initially worried that some of Bensaude’s 14 dogs were infertile, she bred them all, resulting in 89 puppies! This not only caused immediate concern as to whom to place all the dogs with, but actually served to point Cintron to the most prophetic decision in the breed’s history.

Portugal at the time was a relatively poor country, and few could afford to keep a dog of this size and energy.

Cintron made the courageous decision to bring the dogs to America and initially to the care of Deyanne & Herbert Miller, who were Standard Poodles breeders (a cousin of the PWD). In all, Cintron sent 25 dogs (the best she had) to America in the hope that the breed would flourish and survive.

These dogs were the very last of Bensaude’s original Algarbiorum line as in 1974 Cintron was forced to humanely put down her remaining dogs and flee the revolution in Portugal.

Dr. Antonio Cabral & Carla Molinari in Portugal and the Millers in the U.S., were the succeeding groups that were able to deepen the foundation to the point where PWDs could be bred on a larger scale in North America.

Finally on January 1st, 1984, the Portuguese Water Dog received full AKC breed privileges, and the standards for the modern breed would finally be set.

The breed continues to flourish today, and almost as a tribute to the PWD’s traditional role, the San Francisco Giants baseball club now have a team of 6 PWDs that retrieve baseballs hit into the Bay at the Giants new ballpark. Retrieved balls are auctioned off with proceeds going to animal rescue foundations!

• PWD History Main Page
• What Can be Agreed Upon
• How the PWD Came to Portugal

• PWD as a Traditional Fishing Dog
• How PWD was Saved from Extinction
• The Modern PWD