Responding to an invitation from the organisers, Grupo Lobo was once again present at the National Canine Exhibition of Arcos de Valdevez, whose 2nd edition took place on 3 October in the beautiful town of Alto Minho, Arcos de Valdevez. This event was organised by the Municipality of Arcos de Valdevez and the Regional Development Association of Alto Lima (ARDAL). As 2 males from the 6 registered Cão de Castro Laboreiro specimens were recovering from health problems, only 4 livestock guardian dogs could participate, these originating from the Serra do Alvão, where they had been placed by Grupo Lobo in goat and/or sheep flocks. Fenisca (Bracara), a newcomer to these events, came 3rd in the Puppy class with a Good classification. Leão (CoimbroGLII) came 1st in the Intermediate class, obtaining Excellent and the R.C.A.C. Pomba (PadrelaGL) came 4th in the Open class with Very Good, while Pitucha (IberiaGL) came 1st in the same class, receiving the C.A.C. and being considered the best specimen of the breed among 20 entrants at the Exhibition. Pitucha also participated with great success in the National Exhibition finals, being considered one of the 8 best specimens in the Group 2 Final and obtaining a prestigious 2nd place in the Portuguese Breeds Final. The results confirmed the morphological quality of the Cão de Castro Laboreiro specimens placed by Grupo Lobo in flocks under its project to promote the use of livestock guardian dogs to reduce the predatory impact of the wolf. A travelling exhibition of Grupo Lobo was also on display, with panels on the Iberian wolf and its conservation, as well as the use of livestock guardian dogs and the care needed for their proper upbringing and maintenance.
