Welcome  ___________________________________________________________________

The Lagotto Romagnolo, or Romagna Water Dog, is a medium-small sized dog (usually around 30-35 pounds) with thick, curly hair and a bright, happy demeanor. They come in colours of brown, brown roan, brown with white, white with brown, white with orange, and orange. Their hair (not fur) is often described as hypoallergenic, and they do not shed. The coat requires periodic clipping, but Lagotto should otherwise have the look of the rustic, working dog they are.

Loyal and obedient, the Lagotto Romagnolo was originally used to find ducks in the Romagna wetlands, and to chase them into the peasants' nets. When guns replaced nets, the Lagotto would retrieve the fowl after springing it. In the 19th century the Romagna marshes were drained, and Lagotto found a new vocation finding truffles the Apennine mountains.

The name Lagotto Romagnolo comes from the Italian word for lake - lago - and the region called the Romagna, on the Adriatic coast of Northern Italy, around Ravenna and the Comacchio marshes. It's pronounced lag-oh-toe roman-yolo. Generally non-Italian speakers use "Lagotti" as the plural, however proper nouns in Italian are “absolute” and always remain the same regardless of whether they are being used in the singular or plural. So Italians would say “un Lagotto, due Lagotto” (the same for una Ferrari, due Ferrari – the car doesn’t become “una Ferrara” because you only have one...). Also, Lagotto happens to be a masculine noun in Italian and remains so regardless of whether the dog is a male or female. A female dog would be "un Lagotto femmina".

The Lagotto Club of Canada is in its beginning stages and is currently being formed by a group of individuals who are greatly interested in the betterment of this wonderful breed. If you are interested in participating in this pioneering effort, please Contact Us.

Please feel free to browse the site for information and check back frequently to observe our progress. Our sincere thanks to our friends in Europe, and especially at the [recently established] Lagotto Club of America, who have allowed us to use much of their information on this new website.

For current information and informative discussions, join the international Lagotto Romagnolo discussion group at: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Lagotto/

 

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