This is not the first time that western dog fanciers have shaped a
new breed from some other country's dogs, and then devised a fanciful history for it. Unfortunately, the consequences for the true indigenous breeds  of Turkey are serious. The hybridization of the Turkish
regional dog breeds and inclusion of pariah dog blood is now being mandated by the western  world's major dog registries-- most of which have accepted the stories told by Anatolian breeders  without any proper enquiry*.  The campaigns of the Anatolian breeder/promoters, along with disinterest on the part of registries and dog buyers, may  eventually devalue purebred Kangal and Akbash dogs to the  point that they disappear.  This would be a very sad and irreversible mistake.
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* Note: The Kangal Dog is now recognized by the United Kennel Club, the second largest registry in the world (after the AKC), and by the Australian National Kennel Club. The AKC recognizes only the Anatolian, and we are not interested in pursuing that avenue at this time--AKC recognition means a closed registry, forcing inbreeding by allowing no further imports from Turkey. The FCI also recognizes only the Anatolian--but we hope they will change their minds in the future, in order to allow European breeders to particupate in the conservation of the Kangal Dog and the Akbash Dog.

  On to England and Europe... this is Mektup of Obruk, imported by Natalka Czartoryska to England in 1975. Natalka bred this bitch 8 times in 6 years, dispersing the pups far and wide.  She also brought in several other generic "coban kopegi" when British Karabash Club breeders refused to allow crossbreeding with their dogs. By sheer strength of numbers, combined with a blind faith in the notion that 'variation is good, more variation is better',  Natalka and her disciples severely disrupted  Anglo-European efforts to preserve the Karabash dogs (mostly Kangal)  that they had been breeding since the mid- 60s
     Unfortunately, hybridization and crossbreeding with dogs of mixed LGD/pariah dog ancestry can seriously undermine efforts toward the responsible conservation of historic  breeds. The offspring of the above breedings  sometimes produced "karabash colors" that many  breeders used in their breeding programs, to disastrous effect for the future of the Kangal Dog in Europe. One respected geneticist was even recruited by Czartoryska into making supportive  statements about the "genetics of coat color" in Turkish dogs--but the remarks were  based on a faulty set of "data" provided to him by Czartoryska, which of course included many mixed breed dogs. He had never been to Turkey, of course, and was clearly unaware of the purebred status of the Kangal Dog in that country.

OH MY! A SPOTTED KANGAL?? The Anatolian is a western-created breed, as are most modern breeds today. For years, Anatolian fanciers have tried and failed to provide any evidence that the "Anatolian Shepherd Dog" is an "ancient breed" or that it exists as a breed in Turkey today by any definition of the term--there is noTurkish livestock guardian breed that comes in all colors, with long or short coat, and can be expected to breed reasonably true to the western ASD standard of conformation, behavior and type.  Certainly, no Turkish sources give credence to the notion of lumping all large Turkish dogs together into one breed. There have been  occasional Turkish references to the Anatolian, but upon examination it can be seen that the authors  clearly assumed, erroneously, that the Anatolian is simply the English translation of "Kangal Dog." This confusion is understandable, since Anatolian publications so often use the Kangal Dog to illustrate their ideal type.  Futhermore, some Anatolian web sites baldly state that the Anatolian and the Kangal Dog are "the same"! A deliberate falsehood that is causing much confusion for Turkish people surfing the net... or trying to research Turkish dogs in foreign countries. Pinto spots?  But while Turks may get confused by the way westerners refer to their dogs, they are not confused about Kangal dogs. A pinto, brindle, red, liver, black, or white dog is not a Kangal Dog, and even a "citified" Turkish journalist knows that. And while a very rare pinto or brindle dog has been reported in the Kangal area, these are atypical and of questionable background. Turkey has great numbers of street dogs (pariah dogs and dogs crossed with western breeds) and while most villagers will not allow their Kangal Dogs to mingle with them, accidents can happen.   Such dogs are not likely to be reliable as guardians, of course, as the guardian temperament is compromised by cross-breeding. The Kangal Dog is so overwhelmingly uniform in its color and coat type,  Turkish villagers quite sensibly consider the odd-coated dog to be the result of mixed breeding, and they are avoided as breeding stock.    This photo and the article it accompanies has been photocopied repeatedly and passed around among Anatolian enthusiasts as the one and only bit of "evidence" they have that some Turks, at least, believe the Kangal can be a spotted dog (you can click to see the enlarged photos).  The article is about Kangal Dogs, and includes several photos of fawn-black-masked working dogs plus a small mongrel dog with a collar. In a 3rd generation photocopy, the Kangal Dog above indeed might appear to have pinto markings, especially to those who want to believe it is so.  But in viewing the original color photo there is no mistake: the dog is of typical fawn,  black masked Kangal Dog type with shadows on his face and rump from the tree he is standing under.   Not Spots!  As for the article itself, it is from the Turkish Airlines "Skylife" magazine (January 1993) and provided in both Turkish and English. The article is more a collection of anecdotes than facts. It describes the Kangal "boom" of the early 1990s, where, spurred by foreign interest in the breed, the Kangal Dog was becoming a fashionable dog among urban Turks.  It did not take long for the "Kangal Boom" among Turkish urbanites to wane; most cityfolk  now realize that, beautiful and noble dogs though they are, they do not belong in tiny city  yards or on chains. However, the national fascination with Kangal Dogs continues unabated--the dogs are beloved treasures, and often featured in television and newspaper documentaries. Always fawn or dun with a black mask, originally from the Sivas Kangal region, they are Turkey's "national treasure" and a great source of pride for villagers and cityfolk alike.