Wednesday, September 10, 2008

THE KANGAL AND THE ROOSTER

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies."
~ Gene Hill.


Stop for a minute and take a look at this Kangal puppy going after a rooster. He's so fierce, he's so adorable, he's so Kurdish:






Here's a Kangal pup and a sheep:





I want one.

9 comments:

Gordon Taylor said...

My God. Is Mizgin really showing us the soft, cuddly, romantic side to her personality? Or is she secretly a psycho-killer? I walked past one of these things on Hasan Dag in 1973. Just an iron chain kept it from ripping my throat out.

No thanks!

(And don't give me some bullshit about what wonderful dogs they are. Shudder.)

Hevallo said...

My wife was born on Balik Gul near Dogubayazit. She was born in a goats skin tent because her mother was trying to get to town for help with the birth but gave birth before she could get there. On this journey she passed by a village that had some of these dogs and two of them were racing towards my mother in law bearing teeth when an old Kurdish woman beckoned her to hide under her volumous dress, which she did, saving her life! I'm with Gordon on this one!

Selam!

Hevallo

Mizgîn said...

Oh, but Gordon! Dogs are so wonderful! :P

Maybe you prefer something like these animals?

Actually, when we went into South Kurdistan at Habur in June, our car was charged by about half a dozen dogs that were kind of Kangal-looking and bearing their fangs. I had wondered if those dogs had gone feral.

I guess I've been around more Akbas dogs and have never had a problem with them. I've walked right past strange Akbas dogs sunning themselves and they never so much as batted an eye at me. Same thing around flocks.

Maybe they are more scared of me than I am of them ;)

Gordon Taylor said...

Yeah, I must admit that I'm more partial to those "other" animals. (Mirnav)

What's an Akbas dog? I suppose they have white heads, judging from the word, but I've never heard the name before. Maybe, besides smell, sight, and hearing, they have an especially keen sense of political orientation, and thus they decided to leave you alone. (smirking emoticon here)

I think Kangals basically ARE feral. I've always viewed them as the Antolian equivalent of pit bulls: dogs for rednecks and the far right. Republicans are always comparing themselves to pit bulls. Sarah Palin probably has a pit bull. Or her new redneck son-in-law has one.

Mizgîn said...

Here is the Wikipedia entry on the Akbas.

Now there are dogs like this in South and East Kurdistan, but they have the tails curling up and over the back, like some of the stone carvings that our guerrillas have photographed.

In Kurdistan, these animals are primarily working animals and the concept of "pets" as known in the West does not include dogs. The dogs become accustomed to their own humans and flocks, and they are supposed to protect them so they are not going to behave with strangers as "pets" do in the West.

Hehehe . . . a pit bull would be an hors d'oeuvre for a Kangal.

I thought Sarah Palin was a pit bull . . . with lipstick.

Anonymous said...

Sarah Palin is not a pitbull with lipstick. She is the lipstick on a pig. And that pig's name is John McCain.

Turkish E.T. said...

I had one. His name was Efe and he was from Sivas, Kangal. A lion of a pet.

They love dried apricots and this is how I taught him everything.

We'd take him to forest every week where he'd run all around like a mad...dog.

He'd do this trick where spots you from a distance and start running towards you, like, on to you, and then pass so close that he slides next to your legs. Kangal's are the best. There is a couple of them in new york and I saw a well taught, subway riding, anatolian shepherd being used as a rescue dog as well.

Turkish E.T. said...

here he is:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/321112324_a904667625.jpg?v=0

Anonymous said...

In this link rhere is a kangal dog : kangal