2006 NEWS

Hello! We invite you to visit our new blog at: CaneCorsoBlog.com

FYI, for those of you who are not familiar with blogs, a "blog" is a derivative from the term "weBLOG" which is basically an online interactive journal.

Litter B and Litter C are planned for the summer of 2006. We screen all potential puppy buyers to ensure that there is a good three-way match, as we intend to remain in close contact with our selected "extended family" throughout the lifetime of our puppies. We also value our relationships with puppy buyers and their involvement in the puppy's life from day one, so we are the first Cane Corso breeder to have a webcam installed in our home's puppy nursery...it will be "live" again soon! If you are interested in joining our family, please review our Purchase Agreement & Guarantee and then fill out our online Puppy Application.

2004 NEWS

Congratulations to Romeo, the 2004 ICCF National Specialty BOS Winner under FCI Judge Rafael Escar Tabueña from Spain, and to my hero Bob, who stepped in to handle him at the last minute after taking a 6-month break from handling!

Romeo also earned his TT title under ATTS Chief Judge Carl Herkstroeter that weekend; I (Leilani) was so proud to be his handler and especially honored to receive such an excellent review from a highly esteemed judge!

(Pictured left: FCI Judge Rafael Escar Tabueña/Spain, Breeder Morgan Ivaldi/Italy, Owners Bob & Leilani Souza and Romeo, the BOS winner at the 2004 ICCF National Specialty with 63 entries including 12 champion males/2 Italian champions)

Multi BIS Gr. Int. Ch. Romeo del Morgan, CGC, TDI, TT, FBCA-TT (Exc) won his 6th Best In Show under Judges Bill Edwards and David Markus at the IABCA Anaheim Hills Show in California on November 21, 2004...only 3 weeks after his 3rd birthday!

Romeo was the #1 Rarities Cane Corso in 2004 (#2 Working Dog and #4 All-Breed), which is an amazing accomplishment in only five show weekends! Bob and I are so proud of Romeo's achievements and success this year, especially considering we had only started campaigning him the summer of 2004!

California's Cyrano is now a Multi BIS Puppy with 5 Best In Show Puppy wins, 2 Reserve Best In Show Puppy wins, 8 Group 1's, a Group 2 and a Group 3. He also earned his ICCF Championship at just 10 months of age!

We are extremely proud of Cyrano's success, very pleased with his development and we look forward to continuing his promising show career!

(Pictured left: California's Cyrano winning his first All-Breed BIS Puppy at 12 weeks of age, competing against AKC and rare breed dogs up to 18 months of age)

2005 & 2006 will be quite busy for us and we will probably be taking a break from dog shows, after a very full show schedule the second half of 2004. We hope to see you at a future show; if we do, please feel free to come by and introduce yourselves and meet our four-legged family!

ABOUT US - BOB & LEILANI SOUZA

In 2001, we discovered the Cane Corso after our Boxer passed away. During our extensive research, we found what we were looking for at Morgan Cane Corso in Genoa, Italy. After our Romeo was born, Morgan helped us find a suitable female, one that would complement his bloodline in case we decided to start our own breeding program here in California.

Beginning in 2002, we started to become involved in obedience training, conformation showing and temperament testing. Our love for the breed prompted us to join the CCAA (the largest American breed club), and in 2003 creating the website CaneCorsoRescue.org, which beginning in 2005 is maintained for the CCAA Rescue Organization.

In August 2003, we have added another Cane Corso to our family, Nicoletta. We also kept Cyrano and Cypress from our Litter A. All of our dogs live indoors with us and even co-exist peacefully with our Persian cat, Chanel (who was Leilani's only pet since 1993). When we leave the house, Romeo has full house privileges, but when it's bedtime, all five dogs sleep on their beds in our bedroom. We do not believe in "kennel dogs" as the lack of human interaction can result in poor temperament and can pass on to future generations. We are fortunate enough to be able to spend almost all of our time with our dogs since our self-employment allows us to do so.

We have simple-but-strict standards for breeding: temperament, health and type. All dogs that will be a part of our breeding program must have stable temperaments, a clean health history with passing hip scores and possess good overall type. Breeding is a hobby for us, not something that we rely on as a source of income so we breed only on occasion and to enhance our own breeding program. In 2006, we joined the CCAA Breeders' Guild, which is the only organization in the world that sets a standard for its members.

(Pictured above is Morgan Ivaldi with Mastro del Morgan, owned by Jennifer Skinner, and Bob Souza with Romeo del Morgan, taken on October 10, 2004 at the National Specialty in Woodstown, New Jersey.)