Kangal Dog website

http://www.ankader.com/eng/index.html
Ankara Kangal Association (ANKADER) was founded in Ankara in April 2012. ANKADERs main aim is to protect the Kangal Shepherd Dog which belong to our ancestors and to leave behind the proper and the healthy represantatives of this breed to the future generations. Unfortunately today in our country no organization could perform this duty as it should be done. There are a lot of reasons for this but the main reason is that there is no authority whose ancestors were actual sheep flock owners/sheep breeders so that they know how to deal with cattle, sheep and dogs. As they dont not know the core of rural life, they also do not understand anything about how to protect it. Neither our association nor our founding members will provide or will be providing any financial opportunity from this work. Our association is a Nonprofit Organization. The ancestors of the founding members of ANKADER are all sheep flock owners. Outside of their professional lives, each founding member is an expert in animal husbandry. The sheep dogs become instrumental of course when the subject is an animal husbandry . Particularly when breeding sheep. In our motherland, the sheep and the sheep dogs have been together and not seperated from each other for centuries. It had been realized in our country and also around the world that Kangal breed is rapidly deviating from its original and its prevention has always been a priority goal. Today most of our grandfathers common complaint is that Kangal dogs have become smaller than it used to be and they are mixed with other breeds. This is true and a known fact that the race is deteriorating and will be deteriorating either by the many inbreeding of dogs ( as they dont want their lineage of dogs to be dispursed)or by mixing Kangals with other sheep dogs like Aksaray dogs or any other Anatolian sheep dogs just to make them bigger. Our group however believed that by proper selection of the suitable/correct studs and bitches and their breeding, no such things were needed and the rehabilitation of the breed will become possible. In order to proove this, our group placed over 300 puppies to the herds in surrounding villages. They were kept with their mother untill they are 3 months old, dewormed and during this time they had the chance to get all their vaccinations. All of the puppies were recorded and are still followed. In doing so, no fee is charged and no interest was considered. They were asked only to look at the best way they can to the puppies. Today seeing the grand grand children of the puppies we first delivered, and still delivering, working nicely with the flocks brings us the most joy. All the adult dogs that were choosen for our breeding program are selected from active flock guarding dogs who prooved themselves against any kind of predators. Almost all of them have received degrees in show competitions which had held around Turkey from time to time , besides managing their daily responsibilities . It must also be known that more than half of the founding members of ANKADER also contributed to the establishment of KIF (Federation of Dog Breeds). The primary objective of the establishment of this federation is to register our national breeds which belongs to our country (Kangal, Malakl, Turkish Taz ... etc. Without any discrimination) under Turkiyes name on the international arena. It was thought that this could be accomplished by becoming a member of the FCI (Federation Cynologique International), so that our national breeds could be introduced to the whole world with their correct names and registered on behalf of Turkiye. Initial studies were started in 2008 , to form a standard for Kangal according to the FCI criterias. FCI reported to the KIF officials that 100 good represantatives belonging to that breed should be seen , in order to accept a dog as a separate breed and to write its standard . A guide from the Federation of Serbia has been appointed to work with the officials in Turkiye in order to accomplish this . He declared to Turkish officials that the dogs must be working dogs and they should be seen near the flock. Districts of Sivas was visited in 2008 and 85 flock guarding Kangals were recorded and samples were taken. One representative from the founding members of ANKADER were at present at all times , during the dogs identification , measurement and recording . In 2010 they came to Ankara again for a similar studies to visit more flocks and see more dogs after the KIF Authorities were warned to avoid unnecessary delays as to no results were achieved from their studies even after 2 years has passed since their initial work in 2008 . This time 41 Kangals were measured and recorded in Ankara by the help of ANKADER founding members. The standard, which KIF prepared by using the measurements of these 126 dogs, is a mistaken one and it gives a false opinion to the people both within and outside of Turkiye about the true identity of Kangal Dogs. Here, the problem is not that the wrong type of dogs were choosen but the false measuring of dogs performed by the authorities for reasons still not understood. As a result, measurements of all dogs very seriously and deliberately resized.

All measurements were made during the hot summer months and the herds were visited when the weight of the dogs are at their lowest. The dogs were not used to people so during the measurements they did not reflect their actual self. Although this situation is reported to the authorities every time, they did not take our advices into consideration, the matter was postponed saying that everything will be corrected later. ANKADER group patiently waited for the standard to be prepared by KIF and struggled to avoid the publication of a wrong standard for the sake of healthy and true results . Over the time, KIF, whoose main aim is to primarily introduce Kangal and then our other national breeds to the world, lost its path for reasons that we could not understand. The Kangal Breed's standard, which we personally struggled and showed all kinds of sacrifice for its establishment was written wrong and as a result represents a false Kangal both to the world and our people. Today KIF are still insisting on their mistake. The DNA and genetic research which were aimed to prove Kangal to be a pure and ancient breed could not be finished although its been four years since the first samples were collected. As they also admit on their own website, they couldnt finalize the registration of Kangal under Turkiyes name and failed. Today in order to complete the registration process they are recording every dog with out making any distiction. They are deceiving both people who are fond of Kangals, as well as breeders by words like "We are registering your dogs to our KIF pedigree database" and their dogs are recorded by the authorities of KIF. They are doing this as FCI requested them to do so. The Kangal dogs which forms the core of their so called database are mostly from wrong examples. The owners of these dogs are being used also as they are deceived by the KIF officials with words "If you are selling a puppy for 200 liras today, after the registration your puppies will worth at least 1.200 liras". The whole idea of recognition of the national breeds has become purely economic. Right now their biggest supporters are from breeders whoose dogs were not used in the researches between 2008-2010, so they were not also used in the writing of the standard adopted today. This is because the real Kangal breeders became aware of the mistakes made by KIF and decided not to be under the umbrella of this organization. It has been realized that a result can not be reached without a fight, and to give an opportunity to KIF to correct their errors will be a waste of time . That is why ANKADER is established. As soon as the establishment, ANKADER finished the DNA research of Kangal Dogs with its own resources which KIF couldnt finalize although its been 4 years. The aim of this research is to separate Kangal as a distinct race from the other dog breeds around Turkiye and the world. To accomplish this, an agreement was signed with the Australian company Genetic Technologies Limited. This company, being used by other associations including FCI, is one of the major companies in the world that could perform this job. The company send a total of 130 pieces of buccal swabs in order for the collection of epithelial tissue from the mouth in order to perform the DNA mapping of Kangal. The research started in March of 2012 and covered the herds around Ankara, Yozgat and Sivas. Buccal swabs were taken from a total of 112 dogs and sent to ANKADERs contract partner so they immediately started to work. Results are expected to be taken in late May. All the dogs that the samples were taken are micro-chipped, recorded and registered to our associations pedigree database. In addition, each dog was measured accurately and the standard was established without any malice. Any result whether positive or negative will be shared with anyone good, bad or ugly. We wish all the results will help us to register Kangal as a separate breed. ANKADER agreed to lead this project without any benefit , rather then to correct all the known mistakes about Kangal and to have people on board who are experts on Kangal Dogs . After this goal is achieved, the organisations that would be formed by the real Kangal lovers, particularly in Sivas, should become connected with each other. Kangal Dogs are neither in the monopoly of KIF or the FCI, nor of individuals or cities. Kangal Dogs are one of many National treasures of our country and its accurate representation is a National task for each individual. Regards, ANKADER Management