Shepherds Rest Farm

Breeding New Anatolian Shepherd Import Lines - Direct From Turkey

Name:  Shepherds Rest Farm

Location:  Newberg, Oregon, United States

Thursday, November 12, 2009

TURKISH SHEPHERD DOG SAVES DONKEY IN TURKEY

A few months back, a donkey owner in the Kastamonu area in Turkey tied his donkey by the çeşme (water hole) to graze. (In the summer months, there was more grass in the wet ground around the çeşme for the donkey to eat.) The owner forgot and left the donkey there overnight. At dawn, 2 wolves came and Gökmen, the shepherd dog below, tried to save the donkey. In the process, the wolves ran away with small pieces of donkey meat. The witness who happened on the scene in the morning was someone driving a farm tractor. He saw the dog fighting the wolves and protecting the donkey.
When the owner of the dog arrived, he found himself as crime scene investigator, and the landscape a disaster. He said the wolves did an autopsy on the donkey.
Pretty gruesome injuries.

Looks very painful.
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Gökmen is no stranger to wolves. He had to take on TWO wolves by himself and it looks like he bravely did his job, risking his own life in the process.
Although the dog was covered with blood, most of it was not from his own injuries.
Above shows a nearby area where the shepherd dog owner hunts. If you look closely, you will see a wolf in the left background.
Here is Gökmen's owner with his hunting dogs. I would like to thank Serkan Karaahmetoğlu for his permission to use his photos and the story of how Gökmen was a hero to save a donkey.

Unfortunately, 3 months after the donkey recovered, it was again attacked by wolves and Gökmen was not there to save it. The wolves ended up killing the donkey and having it for dinner.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Ilik's Female Puppies 7 Weeks Old

Pinto Girl is 15 lbs, 6 oz today. During the temperament testing today, she was especially laid back. Although she does not like obnoxious sounds, she DOES watch and watch and watch whatever is making the sound. When held for 30 seconds off the ground, she was the only one that was totally relaxed in the body, and yet was actively looking to the left and right. It was like she was looking around doing problem solving on how to get out of her predicament, which she was not unduly alarmed by. This gal shows the keenest interest in the goats of all the puppies in the litter. She wants to be WITH them, not just watch them and guard them. Today she was trying to eat their alfalfa with them, and stayed with them during their meal time!
Ilik-Face is 18 lbs, 10 oz. Her responses to the temperament testing were all middle-ground. No interesting responses, no extreme responses, and she was basically laid back yet liked to avoid loud noises. During the photo shoot when being stacked (put in position) that you see above, she was the most intent on NOT holding her head where it was wanted. Hmmm. A pretty typical Anatolian trait of knowing what is wanted from her and then doing something else on purpose! ;->
White Nose Girl is 17 lbs, 7 oz. This gal was torn between wanting to be petted and wanting to explore, during the part of the temperament testing where she is stroked head to back. Her behavior pattern ended up being: hold still for petting, walk away, return for more petting when she realized the petting had stopped when she went away! She repeated this quite a few times! She also had a unique response in this litter, in her reaction to loud and new noises. She would first locate the sound, watch briefly (unstartled), then seek eye contact with the tester to seemingly determine the tester's reaction to the noise. Maybe it was a check, "Should I or shouldn't I be concerned with this sound?"
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Ilik's Male Puppies 7 Weeks Old

Pinto boy is 23 lbs, 0 oz today. He is very outgoing and adaptable. When confronted with new sights and sounds (rustling tarp, TV, loud sheep bells, vacuum), he mostly just watches. Doesn't startle. Doesn't show any fear. If the noise is obnoxious enough, he tries to get away from the sound, but will return and watch whatever is making the sound. When restrained on his back for 30 seconds, this guy makes eye contact and wags his tail! No struggle at all. No struggle in being held 30 seconds off the ground either!
Darkest boy is 21 lbs, 7 oz. He's pretty funny in that sometimes what you expect is totally different than what you get! For example, when stroked from head to tail until a recognizable behavior was established today in the temperament testing, he turned away from the tester and then circled his head around to the left and back toward the tester looking over his back, instead of just turning toward her on his right! This guy was the least sound sensitive of the whole litter. He was the most unconcerned about obnoxious noise of all the puppies.
Lil Bit-O White Noise Boy is 19 lbs, 8 oz. He was very amusing in his cat-like response to being stroked from head to back until a response pattern was clear. Whenever the tester hand came to his head, he stuck his head up just like a cat would do, to get the most of the petting! He clearly enjoys that kind of touch! He even licked the tester hand! When held 30 seconds off the ground, he was so relaxed, that when the tester started to put him back down, it startled him!
Sakar (White Spot on Forehead Boy) is 17 lbs, 14 oz. He was the puppy that most readily came toward the tester and followed the tester when called. This boy enjoyed the dustmop, the towel pulled by a string, and the teddy bear the most of all the puppies. The sudden umbrella opening didn't bother him a bit. He immediately started mouthing it and pushing it around. This guy is the least scared of new objects of all the puppies in the litter.
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Thursday, November 05, 2009

Ilik's Female Puppies 6 Weeks Old

Pinto girl was in a frolicking mood at picture time! She now weighs 11 lbs 13 oz. Even though she is small now (compared to the rest of the litter), it is no indication of how large she will be as an adult. She gained 2 to 12 oz a day on different days this week. She and all her siblings below are now outside all the time, and their mother takes long breaks from them in another pasture during the day.
Ilik-face has 2 photos here, both above and below. She likes the green ball better than the rest of the litter, and was having fun pouncing on it and shaking it. But her attention didn't last long. She can sit and watch the goats for very long periods of time, however! She weighs 15 lbs, 6 oz, and had daily weight gains of 6 to 11 oz this week.

This sweet white-nosed girl is only getting sweeter! She seems to elicit the snatch up and cuddle response in humans! She weighs 14 lbs, 13 oz, and gained 5 to 14 oz on different days this week. She followed her sister above around and watched her play with the ball during picture-taking time. The puppies are all getting speedy and agile enough now to actually be spending time with goats in the same pasture, so stay tuned for puppy/goat photos coming soon!
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Ilik's Male Puppies 6 Weeks Old

Sometimes the only way to get a good picture is to capture them peeing! ;-> Pinto boy is 19 lbs, 1 oz at 6 weeks old. He gained anywhere from 7 to 22 ounces in one day this week! On the 22 oz day, I had to weigh him several times to make sure I was reading the scale correctly! This guy is still the Meet and Greet Man. Such a friendly fellow!
The darkest boy, or maybe I should say the "least white" boy, since his coat has lightened greatly, weighs 18 lbs, 3 oz. He gained anywhere from 5 to 13 oz in one day this week. He let pinto boy pass him in weight the last 5 days. This fellow now likes to be petted and comes readily to people. But he does like to stay back and observe the goings-on without getting into the fray still. Both he and pinto boy have huge heads!
Lil bit'o white nose boy is almost no white nose at this point. Don't you LOVE that dark face and head?! This coat color (body) is what's called gray fawn. He weighs 16 lbs, 5 oz now, gaining from 7 to 11 oz in one day this week. This guy likes attention, but if you ignore him, he winds up behind you, chewing on the backs of your shoes! This guy knows how to use the back door for attention! Smart guy!
White forehead spot boy is the face licker hair grabber. If you bend down and don't watch it, he will grab a bunch of your hair in his mouth! He's only being playful. He is probably the most playful of the boys, as the other ones above just don't play much, but then again, they weigh more too, so not as fast or agile. The girls do, and this guy loves to join them. However, it's brief, as Anatolian puppies don't usually play much with toys. This guy weighs 14 lbs, 13 oz. He gained anywhere from 5 to 11 oz in a single day this week.
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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Sirin Puppies 8 Weeks Old

Savasci, the only male in the litter, is flying soon to his large sheep ranch and family with 2 young children in California. He will join an older Shepherds Rest Anatolian female who has been working there for several years now. He weighs 22 lbs, 4 oz, heaviest in the litter and rightly so.
Ayicik, meaning Baby Bear in Turkish, will continue to work at Shepherds Rest Farm and will be considered as an upcoming breeding female. She weighs 16 lbs, 12 oz. (For those interested in pronouncing her name correctly, it sounds like EYE-uh-jick.) Stay tuned for Ayicik stories and happenings.
Yayla will also continue at Shepherds Rest Farm as an anticipated breeding female. She lost her heavy-weight title to Mürekkep (see below) by about a whole pound, now weighing 19 lbs, 11 oz. There will be more updates on her, including her whole name and what it means in Turkish!
3-Spot female is now working in Whitefish, Montana, with a sister (see below) and 2 Australian Shepherds, old Huck and young Blue. She will be guarding llamas and the farm from the large predators that come down from Canada! And she will sometimes accompany her owner on walks and continue deterring any predators from her family while off the property. She weighs 18 lbs, 6 oz, fourth heaviest in the litter.
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Mürekkep (Kepi for short) means ink in Turkish, to reflect her very dark face. She is the only one in the litter still available at 8 weeks old. She weighs 20 lbs, 12 oz. The vet says she is going to be a very large girl. (Previously she was known as the medium-brown female with a white tip tail. Also known now as the new heavy-weight female in the litter.)
The medium-brown female with the all dark tail is seen here with her sire. She is now working in Whitefish, Montana with her sister 3-spot. She was still the lightest weight female in the litter at 15 lbs, 0 oz on her 8 week birthday.
The lightest color female was a bit scared in this picture, as she had just had her first experience with the hotwire. She is such a beauty to behold in the pasture, though, as she typically holds herself so beautifully (when the camera is not out). When the camera appears, she is mostly a blur of light fawn. Her owners are almost on their way to take her home to the sheep and some excellent, older, canine, livestock guard dog teachers. She weighs 17 lbs, 8 oz.
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