I met my 1st Fila...I think...question to Fila owners.

I was playing in a park with Sal and Athena and I seen a lady walk by with two dogs. She was at some distance so I didn't get to talk to her right away but I thought the dogs were interesting.

I finished play with the dogs about 20 minutes later and put the dogs in the car and went to drive home. As I was driving I saw the lady still walking her dogs on the side walk.

I pulled over to ask her what kind of dogs they were. She proudly replied "Filas". She then went on to tell me what a Fila was. They were great looking dogs but they were very small for Filas (at least what I thought).

She had a male and a female. The male was 23 inches at the shoulder...at most. To me he looked like the cross between a Rhodesian Ridgeback and a Bloodhound. I guess the dogs were the right color and everything and I guess the right build but.....Do Filas come that small? (23 in and about 75lbs) The female was identical just a little smaller.

I asked the lady how old they were (I could tell they were no puppies) and she said 4 years old. Apparently they were siblings. I was parked on the road were parking was not allowed so I didn't talk long. I just told her that she had nice looking dogs and drove off.

So did she have Filas or Fila mixes or what? I would have pulled out my camera phone but I thought I was being pushy enough....maybe if I see her again I'll get pics. Dogs didn't seem overly friendly.

Hmm. I dunno. After all my research, it was apparent that filas were BIG dogs. Bella is only 9 months and she's between 80-90 lbs (I think, I can't remember exactly).

If you do a google image search, there are the more blodhoundy type filas and then the mastiffy types.

Maybe she just said Fila (and they were actually mixes) because many people don't know what a Fila is anyway?

Sometimes if I don't really feel like talking to somebody about Tango I'll just tell them she's a Toller and move on, eventhough she has Border Collie in her too.

Or maybe they really were just small Filas? That happens many times in other breeds. People never seem to believe me that Morgan is a Rottie because she's smaller than average.

My two boys where 30 inches & 28ish inches at the shoulder. As you can tell from these pics ( very emotionally hard to post) they weren't the bloodhound look at all, and most would think they were a mastiff mix, but I know for 100% certainity they are pure bred filas.

Sunni - your boys look like the type Shiva is

Amstaffer, she could just have undersized Filas. Or mixes, depending on where you are.

I guess I didn't realize they got that small

She may have gotten them from a shelter or something and they simply got labeled the breed they resembled the most (Fila) *shrugs* who knows?

Well, I have a Fila, he's little under two years and he's about 29 inches or so to the shoulder, and 135lbs or so. when he was a pup he did look very bloodhoundish, now he has more of a mastiff look. It varies a lot with his gestures and where you see him from though.