Last updated: 24 April, 2010

The beginning of my passion for dobermanns already comes from very new, since once when I left with my father and saw a house with a huge garden appear from the trees there, two dogs with huge ears, that came to the gate where I was, then I was ten years old. This image was always in my mind, some years after, was I  19 years, in 1990, I acquired my first Dobermann "Igor". Bought it in a pet-shop. Igor… well Igor was of one amazing dedication and had a fantastic temperament, but of beauty had so little. He lived for nine years and had the gift of making me like even more of this so noble breed, which now guarantees a place very special in my short life within the dobermanns.

Meanwhile I know Zélia my companion since few years, she is my right arm… well, right and left, because without her maybe nothing of this was possible. We then attend the exhibitions and found that the dobermanns were a little different from my Igor, and that if I wanted to even, I had to have a dobermann who have some of those qualities, as I saw in  that  who were presented in the showring, so I decided that I have to have one from a real breeder and not from a petshop.

It was then, at the beginning of 1998 after asking to the CPC (Portuguese Kennel Club ), a list of breeders I began looking for "my dog".

So it was then that I find the Kennel of Caramula, owned by Luis Soares, and I had luck, I met a person who had the  patience to listen and answer to all the questions I asked.

Luís said he was planning to have a litter that would be born in May of that year. Showed me the mother, Glad Girl's Cruz Alta and said who the father was, the already famous ( in Portugal), Alf Flegon of Godzila's, a dog truly fantastic, with a long head and excellent neck, with a excellent presence in the showring . With all this I was delighted and clear reserved one dog, a female. Since then what cost me most was the waiting.

On 07 May 1998 the litter was born,  and in the next day I was running to see  them. Since then all end-of-week I would annoy Luís to see the puppies.

The time has come to choose and once again Luís had a decent behavior, I told him in many conversations that we had that I  wanted a puppy for shows and he left me, after selecting two female puppies, choose which one I wanted . I have not choose none, that was Bizi who choose us, coming near to Zélia and then never leave. But while the Bizi was in the hands of her new owner,  I was playing with a male, a crazy male by the way.

In conclusion I came out of the house with a couple, Bizi Bonnard da Caramula and Bohr Bolkan da Caramula.

The first presence in the ring of the two was in Portuguese Sieger Show of ADP (Portuguese Dobermann Club) that year held in Quinta da Marinha.

After all this in September 2000, after a journey well prepared and enjoyable in the company of José Pedro Marques Mercier, Raquel, José António and "Douga", to Luxembourg, Bizi was in the showring with more than 40 dogs (Open Class), and she got to the ring of the finals, V4 (IDC 2000-Mondorf-les Bains Luxembourg), which until today no black Portuguese bitch succeeded. I was realy happy with this great result .

It was then that I decided to create my own Kennel and use our Bizi as matriarch. Then arises the name "Rovira" and why Rovira ?

This name appears as a tribute that I wanted to give to my Grandmother, but that was known to the nickname Rovira (Maria Rovira). Grandmother of whom I hold the best memories and who helped both my parents either in my growth as a person, and in helping me so many times taking care of my dobes.

Here begin the short odyssey in the complex world of breeding, and the time has come to once again make reference to the name of Zelia, whom I  said she was my right and left arm, but in reality if she were not  here many of the things that we were able to do until now would not be possible, either by the support given in the days of exhibitions,  the patience that she had and still have, and the work behind the scenes where she is really amazing. Stay here all my consideration and affection for this incredible person who lives with me in good and bad times,  my passion for Dobermanns, in a disinterested and passionate way. That is why I say in the opening page of our site I say "a way of Life!!!".  I must also mention at this point another person, that is my father that whenever I need is available to deal with all my boys and girls and to give them all the attention.

So this is how I present you this brief story of our Kennel, continuing my journey, with the aim of trying to do more and better for this wonderfull breed - THE DOBERMANN.

Carlos Rocha

This intro was write in : 25 de Agosto de 2006