The Measure of Love
This site came into being thanks to Cristoforo Colombo — Coco, a Sila Sheepdog who lives with me here in Switzerland.
I created it because this breed deserves to be better known, not merely for its beauty or rarity, but for what it carries within itself: origin, instinct, purpose, and dignity.
Many of us wish to live alongside animals. We value their presence, their loyalty, their quiet strength. Yet wanting their company does not necessarily mean we understand them.
With Coco, I have come to learn something rather simple, though not always easy: animals are not the ones who must become more compliant, gentler, or easier in order to fit into our lives. It is we who must learn to make room for them.
How Coco Arrived
In the summer of 2020, I visited Il Pastore Transumante, the kennel run by Dario Capogrosso in Sarezzano, in the province of Alessandria, Italy.
It was there that I first encountered the Sila Sheepdog up close.
What struck me most was his presence: a calm strength, a deep gaze, a quiet seriousness, far removed from the notion of a dog chosen merely for appearance.
A few months later, Coco arrived in Switzerland.
His official name is Pastore Transumante Colombo. At home, quite simply, he is Coco.
Why This Site Exists
The Sila Sheepdog originates from Calabria, in southern Italy. Its world is one of flocks, mountains, woodland edges, and the sort of intelligence shaped through genuine work — protecting animals and living in close harmony with nature.
This site is not an official authority on the breed, nor a breeder’s catalogue. It is a personal space, shaped by daily life with Coco: photographs, reflections, observations, and questions.
To love a dog like him is to observe more, to demand less, and to respect a nature that need not be diminished in order to remain comfortably by our side.
This is not merely a pleasing sentiment or an abstract notion. It is something lived each day, through choices, attitudes, and steady attention.
