Carla Molinari has been involved with dogs since her childhood and her kennel VALE NEGRO was officially recognized in 1963. She is a worldwide known all breed judge and Member of the Board of the Portuguese Kennel Club for more than 3 decades. She is presently President of the CPC and an Honorary Life Member of the F.C.I. , a great distinction.

Her involvement with the Portuguese Water Dog began in the early 1970s when she helped Doctor Cabral (Alvalade Kennels) raise his early litters of cão de água at a time when the breed was nearly extinct. For over 12 consecutive years she was actively involved in the breed as the official representative of the CPC in the PWDCA meetings at a time when the Club was being formed and attended several Annual General Meetings in New York  ,serving as the official link between the CPC and that Club as well as advisor to the Board.

After raising  several Alvalade litters in her home, including the famous T Z and B litters, which included the dogs Trovoada, Truta, Tinto, Zinia, Zingara, Zumba, Zum Zum, Baluarte and Batel,  she began to breed her Vale Negro PWDs using the male CH ARRIBA DE ALVALADE in 1977 . Her first homebred Champion was Galera do Vale Negro. Over the following years she successfully bred over 50 Champions of this breed in Portugal and abroad, including the famous multi Ch Lisboa do Vale Negro, Dog of the Year in Portugal.

Her famous dogs were the Champion brothers Mare and Meias do Vale Negro, who are behind many Scandinavian lines,  as well as the influential Ch Juba do Vale Negro and his son Ch Porão whose offspring turned the tide in the UK gene pool, the multi ch brother and sister Heitor and Helena do Vale Negro, top winning  and influential in Portugal, and her Ch Cacao do Vale Negro, her  personal favorite. Finally by using a breeding to the dog she had chosen as 1995 BOB   Winner  at the PWDCA  1rst specialty, she produced her influential Champions, Al Taje, Al Gharb and Alfazema, through their sons Ch Sete Rios, and Ch Nico d´Obra do Vale Negro.

Over the years Carla has sent several dogs to the USA, some quite influential in several pedigrees. Nowadays her lines can be found behind many pedigrees around Europe and the USA  and in  the lines of many  famous breeders around the world.  In 2003 she bred her last PWD litter thus ending more than 30 years of breeding the Cão de Agua Portugues. Her last champions, Cha das Cinco and Chica Marota, as a well as the male De Sagres, who are still behind current lines used by Portuguese breeders.

Over the past 25 years Carla has judged PWDS all over the world at specialty, Club Shows World and European Shows and has had the privilege of having been nominated and chosen to judge the PWDCA National Specialty three times since 1995. Her book “the Portuguese Water Dogs” published in 1995 is a worldwide acclaimed breed classic and has had two editions.

She is founder and President of the Portuguese breed Club, APCAP.

Her personal passion and involvement with the breed remains unchanged.