By the 1960s it was close to extinction. A breed society, the Club Español del Presa Canario, was formed in 1982, and drew up a provisional breed standard, which was published by the government of the islands. The standard was approved by the Real Sociedad Canina de España in 1989. In 1991 the dog was included in an official list of national symbols of the Canary Islands as a symbol of the island of Gran Canaria. It was officially recognised by the Spanish national government in 2001.