by Burak Akinci
ANKARA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Kangal dog, huge and adorable and possibly the best herd-protecting dogs in the world, is a national icon in Turkey, but their existence is now at risk due to dwindling sheep farming.
But their main mission and even existence is at risk because sheep farming which was once a primary source of income has been hit by modern technology or bad economy and sheep flocks decrease by the year.
The huge watchful dogs of intimidating size are farmers best friends and are capable of killing wolves, jackals, bears and scare also sheep thieves.
"This is the best herd protecting dog breed. They are not shepherd dog. They protect the sheep," Yahya Ozdemir, a breeder from the Kangal town, told Xinhua.
The 37-year breeder, who works in a state-owned farm, explained that he always had an interest for this fearless dog since he was a boy in his remote village of the rugged high plateau, 350 km east of the capital Ankara.
"We breed only pure blood Kangals, the typical livestock guardian dogs of Anatolia. We have 50 of them right now," explained Yahya, adding that a couple of female and male pups sell for 1.75 Turkish Liras (450 U.S. dollars).
"It's forbidden by law to export these hard-working animals but some unscrupulous breeders always find a way to sell puppies to foreigners even when they know that they are going to be fined for this," he said.
Starting at the age of four or five months, the dog is exposed to a wolf's pelt to sharpen its ability to recognize the predator once he will be in charge of livestock.
Kangals, known to be independent and resilient to extreme cold weather, can grow up to 2 meters standing up and weigh 70-80 kg. The massive dogs with remarkably big paws usually have a collar with large spikes to protect them from neck bites.
But nowadays, explained Yahya, because of industrial farming, flocks have gotten smaller, which reduced the need for the Anatolian lion as a fullly-fledged working dog.
"We now receive call from cities from people who want a watchdog for their homes rather than shepherds and the overall numbers of Kangals watching livestock is declining," noted Yahya.
But there seems a new job opportunity for the Kangals as the Turkish Armed Forces have started to use them this year at border posts as security and also drug enforcement dogs.
"If you train a Kangal it will have the intellect of a six-year-old child. They are quite intelligent," Yilmaz Toprak, a veterinarian from Kangal town who knows everything about the native breed, told Xinhua.
Istanbul police forces have already hired Kangals for special forces duties, but the humidity is an adverse factor for this supersized breed which prefers the cold and the continental climate, according to Toprak.
Turkish riot police is also training Kangals to replace German shepherds. Despite their formidable appearance, these dogs are very protective and loyal to their owners.
They are also used for psychological therapy for metally challenged children.
There are also other types of dogs which are typical to the Anatolian region. Thethe Aksaray Malaklisi, Anatolian bandogs, and Anatolian whiteheads, according to official data.
Even though exporting Kangals is prohibited, Kangals are very appreciated in the U.S., Australia and some parts of Africa where they are guarding livestock.
There are also people seeking to buy Kangals to use them in dog fights, strictly prohibited in Turkey.
Kangal dogs are by nature defensive rather than aggressive and it takes human intervention to turn them into a wild dog.
