Born May 1996, died September 2004
There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
But when we are certain of sorrow in store
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and sisters I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
--Rudyard Kipling, The Power of the Dog
This is a tribute to our Kangal Dog, Pasha. Just as pictures never quite capture what Pasha looked like, so my untalented prose will fall far short of capturing his character and his life. But I've created this page out of love and respect for a fine dog who gave us many years of happiness. I hope that those who see this page will be moved to appreciate even more the beauty and wonder of their own dogs. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all those who have called and written to share condolences and stories about Pasha and about the dogs they have loved and lost; I feel blessed and comforted.
Pasha was a great example of a great historic breed. If I could have one wish, it would be that we could all put aside our differences and work together, with open minds and hearts, toward the international respect, recognition, and preservation of the Kangal Dog, for future generations.
One of Andy Rooney's quotable quotes is something obvious to all of us who know dogs:"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." Well, Pasha was no average dog. He was somebody special, and he has left a big gaping hole in our lives, our house, and our hearts. However, we also feel privileged because Pasha gave us 8 1/2 years of joyful memories. He has attracted and introduced us to so many people, and some of them have become our dear friends. Pasha has made friends and admirers all around the world, people who have met him and those who know him only from our stories and photos. Most of all, he has been a wonderful ambassador for the Kangal Dog, and for his native country of Turkey. Pasha was all Kangal, a true Turkish treasure.
We got Pasha from a sheep herder in a Turkish village when he was about 10 weeks old, took him to the U.S. with us, and he grew up to be the Kangal Dog of our dreams. We didn't take him to many dog shows, but Pasha did extremely well when we did show him, including Best of Breed at Kangal Dog specialties and at his last UKC Premier, at age 8. So we know we're not the only ones who found him to be specially handsome!
Pasha sired several litters of pups with his adored and very-alpha girlfriend Chilek, whom Pasha respected deeply and rarely crossed-- though he outweighed her by 35 pounds or so. He sired another litter by Keya. All have the same wonderful personalities and handsome looks of their parents, and all are much loved by families across the U.S. and Canada. 
But his show career is certainly not what we're most proud of, not by any means. Pasha had a personality that jumped right out at you even if you just saw a photo. And friends who have met him have told me that his photos never did him justice--he was so much more impressive up close and personal. Inside and out, a dog to admire. Pasha exuded a calm independence and self-assurance, and yet there was a warmth about him that drew people like a magnet. If you came up to him at a dog park, shows, or the many other public appearances that Pasha made over the years, you'd quickly learn that for a pat on the head, you'd would be welcomed with the famous Pasha Lean-to... he'd lean against you with a goodly proportion of his considerable weight and press his big bear-like head into your lap to be properly massaged. If you bent for a closer look at those soft, deep brown eyes, you'd likely get a big sloppy kiss as well.
Pasha also sired a litter in Australia, thanks to the wonders of artificial insemination and the skills of our wonderful vet Dr. Katherine Settle, who collected him and worked through the labyrinthine rules of transnational semen shipping. For our pains, we were able to ship from Australia the beautiful Lule, out of Pasha and Hakiki Ayla, who is much loved by us today and has had a litter of her own, again by frozen imported semen. Dr. Settle brags to her colleagues about "this Kangal Dog straight out of the village" who had the highest sperm count she had ever seen in a dog, fresh or frozen, and he never missed a breeding. She tells breed clubs that he represents the kind of fertility that they should get back to selecting for, in the purebred dog world. The world turns, and for Kangal Dogs, Pasha broke a lot of new ground!
Pasha's History
Pasha was born in a tiny village north of the town of Kangal, in Sivas province. We found him by sheer good fortune.
My husband Cuneyt and I had been living in Istanbul for two years, and we were planning to move to the U.S. I had seen a few Kangal Dogs in and around the city, and I began to research Turkish dogs by asking around in Turkey and then on the Internet. I became so fascinated by these dogs that I convinced my husband to take me to their native homeland in western Turkey. There was so much conflicting and misleading information 'out there' about this breed, I wanted to learn as much as I could about them firsthand, and perhaps pick out a puppy or two to bring with us to the U.S.
We went to Sivas province in the fall 1996, and we were both astounded by the great numbers of beautiful Kangal Dogs that we could see with their sheep flocks everywhere we went. Thanks to the support of the Kaymakam (governor) of Kangal, who assigned us his able officer Ibrahim to escort us, we visited dozens of villages over several weeks, and photographed a great many dogs and puppies. We picked out a pair of littermates, and then found an unrelated male puppy. We had our puppies, and we were running out of time and cash. |  |
Then during the end of our stay, we chanced upon a stunning young bitch puppy, a beautiful, big-boned, strong pup that stood out from all the rest we had seen. She was a first-rate puppy of classic Kangal type. Her owner, a cousin of local leader Turhan Kangal, quite understandably would not sell her to us at any price. But he was kind enough tell us which village she came from, and to wish us luck!
We determined to go to that village, but at the governor's office we were warned not to, and we could not take Ibrahim with us. The village was very isolated in an area that was occupied by roving Kurdish separatists. There had been violence recently, and a schoolteacher was killed in the area, so it was off-limits to tourists and government agricultural workers.
But I was adamant...we had to go there! Cuneyt gave in and with our detailed map, we set off to find the village. We bumped along in our little Fiat down an endless dusty gravel road up onto a plateau, and as we rounded a bend we saw below what looked like little more than a cluster of tall poplar trees in a spot along a creek--the village.
When we arrived, a handsome gray-haired gentleman came out to welcome us with the typical warm Turkish hospitality, and his wife fetched us some cold ayran to drink.
We asked him if he knew of any puppies available, and he shook his head. All he had was the two puppies from his litter that he had kept for himself--a male and female. The sire of the puppies came out to greet us--a wonderful, huge, gentle old male 8 years old. We were instantly drawn to him--he was a great, muscular lion of a dog, yet gentle and affectionate. The old man obviously had great fondness for this dog, because he allowed Alabash to come into the house with us, where he was fed his meal of barley mash.
Mr. Sonmez | 
Alabash and his son Pasha eating barley mash |
And then the two puppies came out. Cuneyt and I stared, and we coveted... they were both beautiful, and omigosh... that male puppy...we fell instantly in love.
But he was not for sale.
The Sonmez family invited us to lunch on fresh eggs fried in butter, with bread and cheese, under the poplar trees, with the stream gurgling beside us--the most delicious meal I could remember having in ages. But I could not take my eyes and hands off that beautiful male puppy. Cuneyt and I talked to the Sonmez family about our plans to promote the Kangal breed in the U.S., and about how important it was to have really find examples of the dogs to make a good impression for Turkey. Mr. Sonmez was sympathetic... but his puppy was not for sale.
We talked some more. We begged, actually. We didn't have much money left anyway, but it wasn't about money. And then... just as we had resigned ourself to going home without Pasha, Mr. Sonmez relented, and said we could take him, and wished us well.
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I was so overjoyed I could barely contain myself... and now we had to worry about just how we'd get four Kangal pups out of Turkey and into the U.S.! That's a different tale, though... suffice it to say we did, with much tribulation, and it was worth it! So, Pasha went to North Carolina with us and grew up in a very different environment than the one he was born to. He adapted easily, taking on whatever we asked him to do with the same affable, self-assured willingness to try anything once or twice... as long as it wasn't too boring and we made it worth his while! |  |  |
Pasha's Accomplishments
Pasha was born to working village dogs, and he took seriously his job of guarding us, our pets, and our property. When my husband travelled, I felt safe with the girls outside to raise the alarm, and Pasha in the house with me.
And Pasha had quite a few other achievements on his curriculum vitae besides being a guardian dog:
| Pasha was a diplomat, too. He was invited to the Museum of Art for the grand opening of their Turkish art exhibit. They had a sign especially made up for our Kangal Dogs, "Turkish National Treasures", and hundreds of people came up to pet Pasha and be photographed with him. |  |
Pasha helped us raise and train 3 litters of Kangal puppies, plus a litter of Rat Terriers as well. He was extremely gentle with the neonates, and tolerant of all small dogs and puppies, no matter how obnoxious they were to him... but when their 'puppy license' ran out at about 10-12 weeks of age, he was a gruff disciplinarian. He never hurt them, but he sure scared them straight with a roar like a lion when they pestered him beyond his limits! Along with our two bitches, he was a terrific mentor for growing puppies. At our place, we help puppies learn to respect and love people, but Pasha helped them learn to be proper dogs.
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 | "Find the toy" was Pasha's favorite game. I'd put him in a down-stay in one room, and then go hide a stuffed toy in the other. His mission was to go find it, and bring it back to me for a treat. When Pasha saw that a game was about to begin, he was like a puppy again, all full of excitement and playfulness, barely able to keep his stay for a few seconds while I hid the toy. A simple "find it" sent him barelling into the den, the whole house shaking along with him. He'd peek behind all the usual places until he found the toy, and triumphantly run to me with his prize, big tail wagging in helicopter arcs.
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 | Some evenings, sitting with Pasha on the carpet in the den, I'd be giving him a massage, and he would every now and then reach out with a big paw to give me an affectionate swat, or he'd raise his head up and deliver a delicate kiss on my nose, looking right into my eyes. I'd peer back into his eyes and for a moment, the thin line between a tame dog and a wild animal would disappear in my mind's eye. I liked to hold on to that feeling, and be struck by how amazing it was to have this powerful creature in my house, with his head in my lap, communicating with me, showing me affection as he might his packmates or pups. There were so many communicative moments that I wished I'd had the presence of mind to capture on videotape... but never got around to it. |
When I went back to Turkey for the Kangal Festival, I visited Pasha's village and I was amazed and thrilled to see old Alabash came out to greet us. Now 12 years old, he was a bit arthritic and his black mask was now gray, but considering he had never seen a veterinarian nor had a vaccine, it was amazing that he was still alive! Alabash was now an honored veteran, and not required to work any longer for his daily bread. I was so happy to see him, and so pleased to think that my Pasha might enjoy a similarly long life. |  Alabash at age 12, in the village |
Sadly that was not to be. Pasha was still strong and vibrant when bone cancer struck him at age eight, just weeks after he went Best of Breed at the UKC Premier. But he lived and loved more in those eight years than some people live in eighty. He leaves behind a legacy of admirers. And it makes Cuneyt and I happy to know that Pasha also leaves behind some fine young dogs and Kangal Dog owners that will carry the stamp of a classic, true Kangal Dog into future generations.
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I care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.
I love a dog. He does nothing for political reasons.
The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.
The dog has got more fun out of man than man has got out of the dog, for man is the more laughable of the two animals.
The more one comes to know men, the more one comes to admire the dog.
The more I see of men, the more I admire dogs.
No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as much as the dog does.
I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts.
Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear.
To his dog, every man is Napolean, hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe, we are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.
Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job.
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
Did you hear about the dyslexic agnostic insomniac who stays up all night wondering if there really is a Dog?"
If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience."
Nobody can fully understand the meaning of love unless he's owned a dog. He can show you more honest affection with a flick of his tail than a man can gather through a lifetime of handshakes. I can't think of anything that brings me closer to tears than when my old dog--completely exhausted after a full and hard day in the field--limps away from her nice spot in front of the fire and comes over to where i'm sitting and puts her head in my lap, a paw over my knee, and closes her eyes and goes back to sleep. I don't know what I've done to deserve that kind of friend."
The small percentage of dogs that bite people is monumental proof that the dog is the most benign, forgiving creature on earth."
If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.
You enter into a certain amount of madness when you marry a person with pets.
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
It is nought good a sleeping hound wake. |
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