The last theory as to how and when the ancestors of the Portuguese Water Dog arrived in the Algarve concerns the Moors. It is by far the least complex of the four theories, but does involve the first theory of the Phoenicians (giving further credence to that particular theory).

In the 8th century, the Moors conquered Spain and Portugal. The North African shepherd dogs (with a known passion for water) they brought with them were also descended from the dogs of the Asian

Steppes, brought to North Africa most likely by the Phoenicians some 2,000 years before (i.e., about 3,500 years ago).

This theory of the Moors bringing a descendant line of the original Asian dogs of the Steppes, lends some support to the thought that it was not any one of the four groups that was responsible for the creation of the PWD, but rather a combination of all four, mixing at different times in history, further adding to the PWD’s bloodlines.

NAVIGATE TO:

1. The Phoenicians
2. The Romans
3. The Visigoths
4. The Moors
5. Summary - How The PWD Came To Portugal

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• PWD History Main Page
• What Can be Agreed Upon
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• How PWD was Saved from Extinction
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