Before we start discussing the Bulgarian dog breeds, is important we understand from were the dogs come from, the experts say that dogs evolved from wolves about 20,000 to 40,000 years ago when they were tamed by human hunter-gatherers
The long process of domestication began to alter the behavior and genes of wolves and they eventually evolved into the dogs that we know today.
Dogs have been a part of the history of human beings since before the written word.
Dogs were part of a key moment in human history – when our ancestors began trying their hand at farming.
However old the first dog was, or how they came to be domesticated, they became friends to humans quite early in history and have remained so. In many cultures throughout the ancient world, dogs figured prominently and, largely, were regarded in much the same way that they are today.
Dogs were seen as faithful companions, hunters and guardians.
In nowadays Bulgaria, we can appreciate the friendship of man and dogs in the Thracian graves, where aristocrats were buried riding their personal chariot, and with their favorite hunting dog running around. Archaeologists often find dogs and horses still in their harnesses pulling a chariot – slain and buried along with their dead masters.
There are 3 Bulgarian dog breeds
1- The “Karakachan”
is the most famous of the tree, and the breed of dog that originated in Bulgaria as a mountain livestock guardian dog.
Other names are “Bulgarian Shepherd” and “Thracian Mollos”. The dog is named after the Karakachans, Balkan Greek nomadic shepherds. Due to their conservative stock-breeding traditions, they have preserved some of the oldest breeds of domestic animals in Europe: the Karakachan sheep, Karakachan horse, and the Karakachan dog.
In the past, this Mountain dog was widely used in Bulgaria as a border army watchdog. Nowadays it is used primarily as a livestock guardian dog and property guard dog. The most numerous populations of working purebred livestock guarding Karakachan dogs are found in Bulgaria and the United States.
The Karakachan was officially approved as a Bulgarian old native breed in 2005. The Karakachan dog may be a descendant of ancient Balkan domestic dogs, possibly since the time of the Thracians. In ancient Thracian treasures, figures were found of big, longhaired guardian dogs with curled tails. The Karakachan is part of the origin of the Bulgarian Shepherd dog, with which it should not be confused.
Karakachan is a national treasure and the history of the breed runs deep. One dog could run up to 1200 animals and hundreds were used by the herdsmen in the mountains of Bulgaria.
These dogs were so prized by the shepherds that the dogs ate first before the people. The dogs, however, ate a vegetarian diet of milk, wheat, water, and oats. The Bulgarian Shepherd lives a long life of often over 20 years. The Bulgarian Army made good use of these dogs early in the 20th century.
Following World War II, the wolves were close to extinction and property in Bulgaria was nationalized. There was no longer a need for a large force of working dogs. The Communist government exterminated large numbers of sheep dogs including the Bulgarian Shepherd. Only those species on government owned farms and in remote regions survived. When the government farms were disbanded in the early 21th century, these dogs were exterminated as well. Only those in the mountains survived.
US President George .W. Bush in 2003 visited Bulgaria and was gifted with a Karakachan dog.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov gave a Karakachan dog to the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in 2010.
2- The Bulgarian Hound (Bulgarian Barak)
This is definitely the most famous hunting breed in Bulgaria, this dog has played a decisive role in the successful hunting of Bulgarians for many centuries.
How exactly it appeared on the Bulgarian lands is not entirely certain and its roots can only be assumed.
is a dog breed that is considered to be very old – it is claimed that Barak dogs are descendants of dogs that came from Asia 1 340 years ago! And the amazing thing is that these dogs are still around
The Barak and its relatives are mainly found in Bulgaria, Bosnia, Turkey and other Balkan countries.
However, once, Baraks were very popular, and it is even believed that after the Fourth Crusade, returning French knights brought them back from the Balkans, thus starting the famous line of Griffin hunting dogs, and has long been used for their impressive scent tracking abilities.
A story related to Bulgarian Hound is part of an important episode of Bulgarian history, at the end of the Russo-Turkish War. After the heavy siege of Pleven by the Russian troops, Osman Pasha is known to have been captured after the siege, and his first concern when presented to the Russian officials was to ask to be well fed and look after his hunting dogs.
3- The Bulgarian Scenthound ( bulgarsko gonche)
is a breed of hunting dog originating in Bulgaria. It is the most popular hunting breed in Bulgaria but is rare outside its borders. It is recognized by the Bulgarian Republican Federation of Cynology, a member of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
It is unknown how the Bulgarian Scenthound came into the region of Bulgaria nor where its origins lay. Some sources indicate that Illyrians, Thracians, Celts and Greeks living in the Balkan peninsula used similar scenthounds for hunting.
Some scholars suggest that all scenthounds found in the peninsula originate in Asia. The breed was presented for the first time in the World Hunting Fair of 1981 in Plovdiv.
The Bulgarian Scenthound is a medium-sized scent hound. It has a strong, harmonic and elegant body with a rectangular outline.
In their early working times, Bulgarian Scenthounds had to earn their name by tracking a live hare and driving it back to their owner. If the dog could do this three times, they would successfully earn their name of “Bulgarian Scenthound”.
Which one is your favorite Bulgarian breed?
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