B11

The Portuguese Water Dog, or ‘Portie’, is a muscular, medium-sized dog that is very sociable and loyal. It is an extremely intelligent dog that is quick to learn and understand instructions.

 INSTRUCT

B12

As the name suggests, another characteristic of these dogs is that they love to swim. In fact, Porties were used by Portuguese fishermen for many centuries to catch fish, carry messages between fishing boats, guard the boats when they were in port and get back anything that fell overboard.

CHARACTER

B13

Porties were so useful on board the fishing ships that the fishermen considered them to be part of the crew and always gave them a share of the fish that had been caught.

 USE

B14

But technology eventually replaced Porties. The fishermen began to use radios to send messages between ships and machines to pull up nets. By the 1930s, Porties were almost extinct.

 EVENTUAL

B15

Luckily, however, a rich man called Vasco Bensaude took an interest in the Portie. He began a breeding programme to try to save the breed. The programme was very successful.

 SUCCESS

B16

Today, although the Portie is still quite a(n) uncommon breed, it is no longer in danger of disappearing.

 COMMON