Become a Big Furry Friends V.I.P. We bring you the world’s most luxurious handmade stuffed plush animals.  Not just great personal gifts, these beautiful pieces make great mascots, corporate gifts, and display pieces for homes, offices, theatre, commercial and movie props. Collectors young and old agree these are keepsakes for a lifetime! See All 70+ Breeds  The Portuguese Water Dog is a breed of working dog as classified by the American Kennel Club. Portuguese Water Dogs are originally from the Portuguese region of the Algarve, from where the breed expanded to all around Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore. Portuguese Water Dogs rode in bobbing fishing trawlers as they worked their way from the warm Atlantic waters of Portugal to the frigid fishing waters off the coast of Iceland where the fleets caught cod to bring home. Portuguese Water Dogs were often taken with sailors during the Portuguese discoveries.      In Portugal, the breed is called Cão de Água (pronounced Kow-dee-Ah-gwa; literally "water dog"). In its native land, the dog is also known as the Algarvian Water Dog ("Cão de Água Algarvio"), or Portuguese Fishing Dog (Cão Pescador Português). Cão de Água de Pêlo Ondulado is the name given the wavy-haired variety, and Cão de Água de Pêlo Encaracolado is the name for the curly-coated variety.      The Portuguese Water Dog is a fairly rare breed; only 15 entrants for Portuguese Water Dogs were made to England's Crufts competition in 2002. Though some breeders claim they are a hypoallergenic dog breed, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that hypoallergenic dog breeds exist. However, their non-shedding qualities have made them more popular in recent years. About Piutrè Welcome to the Piutrè Animal Collection, the finest collection of realistic plush animals in the world. Originally designed in Italy by master toy artisan Riccardo Chiavetta, the animals in the Piutrè Collection faithfully replicate their real- life counterparts in form, coloring, dimensions, and expression. Each piece is sewn, shaped, and finished entirely by hand in Italy, using the finest European-made materials, resulting in a beautiful keepsake animal to treasure for a lifetime. A Legend Reborn . . . These astonishingly realistic animals are hand-made in Italy using the original patterns and models created by Riccardo Chiavetta in the late 1970s and early 1980s for Jockline, an Italian firm that came to be known the world over for its highly realistic—often life-size—plush renditions of dogs, cats, and other animals. Many of the Jockline animals were marketed in the United States under the Avanti trade name, though in later years Wallace Berrie Company, Inc., shifted production of some of the Jockline-designed animals to Korea. Jockline failed in 1991. The Italian-made Jockline animals from this era are highly prized by collectors. Today, in Italy, the family that made the original Jockline animals is doing so once again, with the same uncompromising artistry and craftsmanship. A highly skilled artist is responsible for each animal and personally sees each one—from the tiniest mouse to life-size polar bears—through all the exacting details of the production process. Only when an artist is completely satisfied that a Piutré animal has been superbly executed does he or she tag and package it—in essence, a gift to the individual who will ultimately touch and treasure it. This is your chance to acquire an irresistible treasure that’s destined to be enjoyed and appreciated for generations to come. Extraordinary. Exquisite. And exclusively yours. Girella Portuguese Water Dog Handmade in Italy by Piutre Item Number: 4226 15.7  inches / 40 centimeters $ 187.00