 A trip to the Sivas-Kangal
region of Turkey is like a stepping back in time. There, the "koyu" (village
people) maintain a simple, subsistence lifestyle based on animal husbandry,
as they have for thousands of years. However, the nomadic peoples that
once roamed the plateau region have largely settled into villages, scattered
across the sparse landscape.
They are wonderfully friendly people. The hospitality of rural Turks
toward strangers is legendary; however, it is especially humbling to meet
people willing to share everything when they have so little. The people
of Sivas-Kangal will invariably invite you into their homes, serve you
cool ayran (yoghurt drink) or tea, and feed you the best meal they can.
The only thing the are unlikely to give you, nor sell you at any price,
are their best Kangal Dogs! It is easy to see why these fine folks
value their Kangal Dogs so highly, and take such pride in them. Aside from
a few crops grown for family use and the market, most of the food,
clothing, and meager income of the villagers is obtained from their sheep.
And thus their livelihood depends in large part upon their valuable Kangal
Dogs. Furthermore, newspapers and the occasional television
do make their way into village homes, and since the Turkish media frequently
features stories on the Kangal Dog, the villagers are well aware of the
fame of their dogs. This too is a matter of great pride; however, that
does not mean they will sell you a dog!
In fact, there is at this writing no one in Turkey breeding Kangal
Dogs commercially for sale to other Turks or to foreigners. A number
of fine dogs have been sold in the past, to be sure, and families in desperate
straits will sometimes succumb to the temptation of a wad of cash for a
dog. But in general, as villagers told us, the best dogs are either up
in the yaylas with the sheep, or they get locked away when foreign visitors
come round.
 This
handsome, heavily masked male is well known among the villagers in
his neighborhood. His littermate brother was even larger and more handsome,
the object of respect and envy in the area. But perhaps unfortunately the
brother was sold (for a very large sum of money) to a wealthy Turkish landowner
in a different province, who wanted the finest Kangal Dogs for his sheep
operations and was willing to pay royally for them. We can only hope that
Seytan lives on in his fine progeny, wherever he is!
 This
Kangal Dog is returning with his flock from a day spent in the yayla
(high plateau), where the sheep can graze away from the summer heat. This
one appeared to be weaving slowly back and forth behind the flock, helping
his shepherd boy with the herding! Once the sheep were safely in the yard,
and his work was done, the dog simply sauntered off to his village home
for dinner.
Here are some more typical scenes from the villages around Sivas
province.
Here is a scene from an isolated, very poor village about 20 miles west
of Kangal Town. In the foreground are piles of dried sheep dung, used as
fuel for cooking and heating. You can see there are not many trees around.
In the background is a flock of sheep, but you barely make out the dot
to their left, which is their faithful Kangal Dog guardian resting in the
dust. At least one with every flock!
 Some
people like to claim that Turkish people, because of their Muslim religion,
actually despise dogs, and look upon their dogs merely as commodities or
slaves. It is always dangerous to make generalizations, and we did not
find this one to be useful. Many Turkish villagers showed obvious
pride and affection for their dogs; some dogs lived in the house with their
family. The villagers are poor, food is scarce, and veterinary care is
unknown, but the dogs are respected and even beloved members of the community.
 Not
every sheepdog in Turkey is a Kangal Dog! In addition, there are white
Akbash Dogs in central Turkey, probably the progenitors of the other white
European LGD breeds. This beautiful dog with close-cropped ears was guarding
his goats on the road to Pamukkale, in east-central Turkey.
In northeastern Turkey, and along the Russian border, are stocky,
long-coated Kars Dogs, which resemble Caucasian Ovtcharkas.
[photo to be added, as soon as I can get one!]
In addition to the Kangal, Akbash, and Kars Dog breeds found in specific
regions, there is an array of more or less generic sheepdog types scattered
about elsewhere the in country, and in the towns you can find surprising
numbers of streetdogs, or "pariah dogs" of all shapes and sizes.
Flock/farm dogs in a variety of colors and coat patterns are found
in many parts of Turkey. In recent decades, the population of scavenging
street dogs has risen along with the growth of cities, and the increased
mongrelization of working sheepdogs is obvious in many areas of the
country. Those which have the general size, drop ears, and ability to work
with sheep are called simply "coban kopegi" (cho-bahn ko-pay-ee), which
means "shepherd's dog". This is not a breed name, but a generic term
referring to the dog's functional category. Kangal Dogs are also coban
kopegi, of course, but the Turkish people recognize them as a specific
breed, just as a Labrador is a breed of retriever, and a saluki is a breed
of sighthound.
The dog above was photographed off the highway on the Aegean coast,
near Izmir--ancient Smyrna. He may well have some Kangal Dog ancestry,
given his faded mask and generally fawn color, but his long, patchy coat
and untypey brown head show his mixed background. He was a nice dog, though,
and stayed with his flock, showing no interest in us whatever.
 This
dog was seen in a Turkish village populated by Cerkes people (people of
Circassian-Russian descent). They had their own type of dogs. This one
has the long coat, agouti color, and plumed tail typical of the Ovtcharka,
but with a ranginess that suggests some Tazi influence.
Click here to see more
photos of Turkish villages and Turkish dogs...
This site is still under construction.
Check back again soon!
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