 Antor of Narduzzi Folli |
Volpinos are a small sized dog, almost always around 10 pounds. They
are known of as watchdogs, guarding their masters and household ferociously
when necessary, while being very attached to and loving with their family.
Always wanting to be the center of attention, most Volpinos are quite
happy as lap dogs.
Volpinos were popular with Italian nobility and common folk alike for centuries. Remains and artwork dipicting Volpinos have been found dating thousands of years in the past. The artist Michelangelo had a Volpino that watched as he painted the Sistine Chapel, and Volpinos were used by traveling merchants as an alarm dog to guard the wares of their carts. Farmers kept Volpinos to awaken larger guard dogs when strangers encroached upon their land. |
For some reason interest in the Volpino declined in the early and mid-1900's, almost to the point of extinction by the 1970's. In 1984 Italian dog lovers set out to rescue and promogulate the breed, scouring Italian farms for unregistered specimens that fit the strict breed description. Since then the number of pure-breds has been increasing, though they are rarely found outside their homeland. Unfortunately the once plentiful solid red variety seems to be extinct.