Cirneco dell'Etna
When you think Sicily, you probably start imagining warm beaches and sweet marzipan; but this fertile island is also the homeland of one of the most beautiful and intelligent dog breed: Cirneco dell'Etna. This breed is also amongst the least known probably due to the fact that it was almost extinct. Thanks to the work a few passionate Sicilians, this autochthonous breed can still roam around the rocky sides of Etna hunting for rabbits. The Internet has a lot on the origin of this primitive dog breed, but what fascinates me the most is it's character: mild but decisive. This breed has been populating the island for longer than even Cicero can remember. Originally breed for hunting, is not used mostly as a house dog and shines in international dog competitions.
If you want to see some beautiful specimen (and you are not going to stop by #andreinaevito to say hi to our lovely Gaia), then you should consider visiting the follwoing "allevamenti" (breeders/kennels).
Cyrenensis
I particularly like the format of this website, and the care Diana has given into providing information about her dogs.
A beautiful photo sent to us by Diana showing the Cirnecos enjoying a walk between lava rock and ginestra plants.