Perched atop the sofa back, Manny, a 5-year-old Portuguese Podengo, spots the intruder and sounds the alarm. His pack of five fellow Podengos leaps to join him, and together they raise a storm of frenzied barking sure to ward off any interloper. But their tails are wagging, too, says Portuguese Podengo Club of America founder and president Marilyn Piurek, of Old Saybrook, Conn. They bark, but they never attack." When the mail carrier leaves, Manny jumps down and trots away  mission accomplished. The commotion is fine with Piurek, who says it illustrates the guarding instinct of this alert, sometimes territorial sighthound.

The Portuguese Podengo is a versatile hunting breed whose origins trace back more than 5,000 years. The Podengo, which means rabbit hunter, is the national dog of Portugal, and his image is the logo of the Portuguese Kennel Club.

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