You’d be forgiven for mistaking this dog as a black Labrador Retriever because most of us will never meet a Ca de Bestiar in person, but this naturally gifted herder and all around farm dog has been known by Majorcan shepherds and foravilers for centuries.  It’s rather unusual that a breed developed to work under the extreme conditions of intense heat of the Balearic Islands of Spain would be black, but these dogs take their responsibilities very seriously, and heat doesn’t seem to factor into their ability to do their job well. That black color, however, was one reason that 16th and 17th century bandits allegedly used the dogs to attack travelers in the night.

Exact origins of the breed remain vague, but some have theorized that the dogs arrived in the Balearic Islands shortly after the conquest of King James I of Aragon. Of the four largest Balearic Islands, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Majorca (also called Mallorca), it’s been said that the breed personifies the characteristics of the people of Majorca: Friendly, protective of family, but cautious of strangers. For that reason, the Ca de Bestiar is considered to be the pride and the symbol of Mallorca.

As we wrote earlier, most of us will likely never meet a Ca de Bestiar in person, but this is a popular breed in Spain, and very commonly seen in farms and villages. It is recognized by the FCI, which in 1982 accepted both the short-haired and long-haired varieties of the breed as the Majorca Shepherd Dog, and by the United Kennel Club which accepted the breed as the Ca de Bestiar in 2006. The dogs are also known as the Perro de Pastor Mallorquin.

Image: By Mario Agresta – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=537681