Vira-lata

People ask us about Keppy's "race." We thought it was strange at first because we think of it differently but the words for race and breed are the same here, "raça." When we say we don't know his raça, people respond with words we don't understand. 

Vira-lata means "turn can" and it's slang for street dog. It can also mean mutt. Brazilian vira-lata are usually small to medium sized, wiry, and often brindled. Keppy is bigger, more buff, and spotted. Turns out the words for spotted and buff are the same here too, "malhado." So, people say he is a vira-lata malhado. Since we learned this term we use it whenever we get a chance. It rolls off the tongue, usually gets a courtesy laugh and knowing this piece of language helps us fit in little better - and every little bit helps.