Përdoruesi:Bugoslav/Albanian Shepherd Dog

Albanian Shepherd Dog

Albanian Shepherd Dog is a name that has support in sources. I would like if someone from this Wikiproject would work with me in order to create a class C article for the beginning.

This is of great importance because of the sittuation that FCI currently do not recognize the Albanian Shepherd Dog as a modern breed, and we could do the starting point - that being - searching through books.google.com to find sources and present them here.

• http://books.google.com/books?id=w8EBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA51&dq=Albanian+dog#PPA50,M1 gives this content

“ Has been occasionally brought to England by officers stationed at Corfu. He is a large, handsome dog, either fawn or grey in colour, with a long, bushy tail, a pointed note, and prick ears. In size he almost equals a small Newfoundland. The Albanians prize these dogs highly, and a story is told at Corfu, of an English officer who was murdered by the owner of an Albanian dog, which he had shot in self-defence. Although ferocious when in any numbers, the Albanian Shepherd's dogs possess little pluck, and I have myself seen a pack of six or seven refuse to attack a wild-boar at bay, when a small English Bull-terrier did not hesitate to run in single-handed and seize him by the ear. The Albanians use these dogs indiscriminately as shepherds' dogs, and for the occasional chase of the wild-boar; but, as they are only employed to force the boar from his cover before the guns of the hunters, there is generally no necessity for the display of much courage. ”

There are many hits for the Albanian dog on books.google.com, many of them in full searchable and editable text - completely free of copyright.

• http://books.google.com/books?id=ed0TAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA52&dq=Albanian+dog#PPA52,M1

“ The Albanian dog can be traced to a very remote period of history. Some of the old authors speak of it as the dog which in the times of ancient mythology Diana presented to Procris. Pliny describes in enthusiastic terms the combat of one of them with a lion, and afterwards with an elephant. A dog very much resembling the ancient stories is yet found in Albania, and most of the districts of Greece. He is almost as large as a mastiff, with long and silky hair, the legs being shorter and stronger than those of the greyhound. He is gentle and tractable with those whom he knows, and when there is no point of duty at stake; but no bribe can seduce him from his post when any trust is committed to him. [This dog, it is very probable, was highly impregnated with molossian blood, and like that animal, was trained both for war and the chase. It is rather doubtful, whether the dogs presented to Alexander the Great by the king of Albania, were those of his own country or some that he had obtained from other parts. We are inclined to believe that they were imported dogs, for Pliny distinctly states, that these two were all that the generous monarch possessed, and if destroyed could not be replaced. From this circumstance it is natural to suppose, that, if these dogs had been native Albanians, the king would have been able to supply any reasonable quantity of them, and, therefore, not necessitated to send this message to Alexander. On the other hand, if these dogs had been of the pure molossian type, such as were raised in Epirus, it is probable that their huge dimensions would not have surprised this monarch so much, as it is reasonable to believe that Alexander would certainly have seen, if not heard, of dogs so remarkable, belonging to a kingdom in immediate contiguity with his own. We are, therefore, forced to look to some other source, from whence came these proud dogs, who alone deigned to contend with the lion and elephant, and must yield to Strabo, who states that these animals were of the Indian breed. — L. 15.] ”

The Albanian Cynological Association can help, even if there is not much content, there are a web-form to contact the authors, they can also help.