Dogs have long been a part of the Portuguese culture and still are today. 

On our trip to Portugal in June 2006, we had the opportunity to experience the life in the fishing village of Praia de Mira. 

The dogs there have the run of the town and it was really something to see.   Some travel around town on their own, others in packs but they all stayed within their own neighborhood.  One in particular had a very specific territory and he was there day in, day out.  The people whether pedestrian or in their cars respect the dogs, even yielding to them while they cross the street and the dogs respect the people.  All the leftover dinner scraps are put outside at night for the cats and dogs of the street. 

Fishing villages dot the Portugal coast on the Atlantic Ocean.  In the images to the left you can see the village workers sorting the fish by type and size to sell to the local merchants.  It was in fishing villages like this one where the Portuguese Water Dog was a highly valued member of the team helping to pull in the fishing nets.  Now the the tractors do all the work.