ARTICLES

The Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog – The Sentinel of the Carpathians

The12TH of May, 2009
Author: Engineer. Alin Butisca

The first contact with a Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog should start with a short dissertation about his history. This proud dog was selected from an endemic breed for the Carpatho-Danubian Area. He exists from ancient times, from when the first shepherd had herds on those lands. He passed mountains of times preserved untouched in his character, that primordial spark of the primordial dog. The basic criterium of selecting this dog was utility which means his ability and to defend herds against the biggest local predators (wolf, bear, boar, lynx) corroborated with his adaptability to extreme mountain weather conditions (wind, rain, cold, snow).

The Romanian people grew up with this dog and sometimes I consider that they did not realise what an inherited treasure they have. There were a lot of initiatives and trials for international approval of this breed.

The first standard of the breed was written in 1934 by the National Institute of Animal Breeding. This standard was modified and updated in 1982, 1999 and 2001 by the A.Ch.R. (The Romanian Cynological Association) and on the 30th of March, 2002, it was adapted in accordance with the proposed model of F.C.I.

70 years after the first standard, in June 2005, the huge and dedicated work of the breeders completed into a success: F.C.I. recognizes the Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog as a stand alone breed.

A short description of our national dog:

The Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog has an ancestral beauty, grey-wolf colored, powerful and resistant. His flexibility and physical strength are harmoniously combined. As he is permanently defending the herds, in the mountains, without having a shelter, he should be adapted to the extreme weather conditions. Therefore, he has a dense and soft undercoat which gives him the necessary thermoinsulation. This undercoat is protected by a coat which is longer and straight. On the back side of the limbs there is a longer coat, specific to this breed.

The Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog is a courageous natural guardian which distinguishes itself by his instinctive and unconditional attachment to the herd and his master. He is a dignified, calm and stable dog, tenacious and determined, and if it is necessary he cxan turn into a fast, agile and powerful warrior with the one purpose: to defend his master even with his life. This dog is lupoid type (wolf-like). Relatively large-sized dog, agile, never heavy, the general appearance being that of a vigorous dog, he can sense wild predators from a long distance. Only the powerful and determinated dogs of this breed survived in the mountains.

The Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog is perfectly adaptable to all the climatic conditions in our country, he doesn't need a special food and special conditions.

He is a very good family dog. His love and attachment for the children are very well known.
In my personal opinion, the Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog is the best shepherd dog, also beautiful and stable. If you need a guard dog he is the perfect choice and I am saying this as an owner of a Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog, living day by day with those dogs, permanently amazed by them.

But any words, any description is pale compared to this dog… His eyes, his ancestral beauty, his dignity, let in your heart the wish to be closer, to have a communion with this dog, that communion between the ancestral man and his ancestral dog on those lands. Once you meet a Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog in, your heart will miss him and you will need to have one.

About his dedication, courage and greatness there are a lot to say. I remember a short story:

A shepherd man died in the mountains. He was found after 4 days. His dogs, two romanian carpathian shepherd dogs, defended his body against ravens and other wild animals. Hungry and thirsty they didn't leave their master and friend, they remaind faithful beside their own sufferance. We can just imagine the strong faith during all those nights keeping wild animals away from the body of their friend, that friend who shared with them during the life his pice of poriddge and his love.

There are a lot of stories about those dogs and their masters.

I hope that the Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog is now closer to you, closer to your heart. He is our grey splendour, the romanian national dog, the carpathian dog.

Author:
Engineer: Alin Butisca,

Translated by Carmen Catanoiu

Copying (partial or total) of any published material on this site is strictly forbidden, without the permission of the site manager.