Striving for the classic, Old World Kangal Dog
contact Sue or Cuneyt at
skocher@mindspring.com
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Member of the Kangal Dog Club of America since 1996. |
To
truly appreciate the historical and cultural value of the Kangal Dog, to
understand the source of Turkish pride behind these national treasures,
one must go to Turkey, and specifically to Sivas province. There
you can still find great numbers of purebred Kangal Dogs, guarding
their sheep and their villages as they have for hundreds or perhaps thousands
of years. We were fortunate indeed to be living in Turkey for several years,
and to be able to travel to eastern Turkey to see these dogs in their homeland.
It was a terrific adventure, and one which our months of study through
books and internet sources could hardly prepare us for. There, the dogs
are not some rare, abstract relic of the ancient past, but a vital part
of the daily life of an entire region of people. And even
though my husband is Turkish, and familiar with Kangal Dogs his whole life,
the trip to Sivas was a memorable cultural experience and a journey back
in history for him as well as for his American wife.
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Our goal for Sivas Regal Kangal Dogs is to help preserve the time-honored
form and temperament of the genuine Kangal Dog, the breed so valued
by the Turkish people that the government has declared it a National Historic
Treasure. We went to great lengths to travel to the native region
of these dogs, consult with Turkish experts and village breeders, and obtain
several fine dogs. We are proud to play our part, along with the good people
of Turkey, in preserving this valuable breed for the future.
This is a Turkish stamp depicting Turkey's most beloved choban kopegi (shepherd's dog) breed, the Kangal Dog. |
We tend to view our dogs as wonderful friends and protectors, but we are also mindful of the fact that they represent a vital genetic resource for livestock conservancy. Like other varieties of heritage crops and domesticated animals, indigenous dog breeds represent centuries, even millenia of human selection and natural adaptation, and yet they still have valuable contributions to make today. The same traits that were priceless to the ancient Turks--courage, intelligence, protectiveness, gentleness with sheep and children--are the traits that many of us treasure today in our companion dogs and livestock guardians.
We aim to produce an occasional litter of beautiful, strong, genuine
Turkish Kangal Dogs, and we will not compromise on health and true-to-the-breed
temperament.
FOUNDATION DOGS
Pasha "the General," and Chilek "Strawberry" were born in villages at opposite ends of southern Sivas province. They were both born to working parents with a solid heritage. We had looked at many, many puppies and their parents before we chose these dogs. Chilek was too young to take from her mother; we had to take a holiday on the Black Sea and come back for her! Pasha we found to our joy in a remote village that our car could barely get to--but we were determined after seeing his sister with an "uncle" of the Kangal clan near the town of Kangal. Pasha was the one they had kept for themselves, and it was no easy task to persuade the owners to part with him. But after a long negotiating session, a friendly lunch, and many cups of tea, we drove off with our precious big pup, so excited we could barely contain ourselves!| Photos don't do them justice, but here they are: |
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At stud:
Sivas Regal's Pasha Turkish import from Sivas province Male, born May 1996 UKC Reg. # P245-285 OFA KG-6F24M Fair UKC Champion, Multiple Best of Breed, 2001 Kangal Specialty Best in Show This is a recent photo of Pasha at almost 3 years of age. He is now c. 32 inches tall at the shoulder, and he's a "classic Kangal" with his heavy bone structure and noble head. His protective bark sounds more like the roar of a lion, and yet he is wonderfully sweet with most other animals, and he loves children. He will put on quite a display when intruders enter our property, but is friendly and easy-going off-territory. As a Kangal Dog should be! |
| This is Chilek, at age 3, just before going Multi-Breed Best in Show at a UKC show in Florida. Shown here with judge Fred Lanting. We lucked out finding her. She's a beautiful young lady with a sweet disposition and penetrating, wolf-like amber eyes. She is 28+ inches tall, very athletic, a beautiful mover, and strong as a bull at 105 lbs. And her OFA Excellent hips are precious in any large breed. She doesn't bark much, but when she does, we know we need to investigate. She is great with kids and pets, loves everyone she meets, and yet is a very good guardian. She is an excellent mother, too! | Sivas Regal's Chilek
Turkish import from Sivas province Female, born July 1996 UKC Reg. # P245-350 OFA KG8E24F-Excellent UKC BoB and Best in Multi-Breed Show!  |
Our girl Lule!
Lule is our
This
is Pasha's registration certificate from the Kangal Dog Breeding Center
in Kangal. Chilek has one too. We did not get our dogs from the center,
but they do maintain a record of dogs bred and sold in the area. Click
to see enlarged view. There are of course beautiful Kangal Dogs everywhere
you look in the region,but we could see that these pups, and their
parents, were especially fine dogs. We flew the pups to the
U.S. with legal Turkish government papers, yet not without difficulty.
The export of Kangal Dogs was strictly limited then, and according to the
Turkish press, is now banned completely.
We share the aim of the Kangal Dog Club of America to work with the Turkish government and the Kangal Dog Breeding Farm to perpetuate excellent examples of the breed for the future.
Our dogs
have fulfilled our expectations and then some. They are both exemplars
of the Kangal Dog breed: sound, healthy, wise, and with a good sense of
humor! They are both obedience trained, and perform splendidly when
there are liver or cheese treats to be won.
Kangal Dogs
are not known for their enthusiasm at retrieving, but all of our dogs
will fetch a toy and bring it over a jump for a treat; I've
also done some operant conditioning (clicker training) with them,
which they find amusing. They enjoy solving puzzles--again, especially
when there is a treat at the end.
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We take care to survey and to educate potential owners, with the
goal of ensuring a loving, respectful, permanent home for each puppy we
produce. Getting a Sivas Regal Kangal puppy is not first-come, first-served--each
puppy is matched to the best of our ability to the most appropriate home.
Intact puppies are sold only to qualified breeder/show-candidates.
Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Sivas
Regal Kangal Dogs
We are usually home in the evenings and on weekends, and you're welcome
to call for further information. Please understand that we are not a commercial
kennel, we have regular day jobs and we get many phone enquiries. If you don't catch us at home
the first time, please leave a message and call again. Or
send email! Thanks.
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