Thoughts

In a few months, it will be fifty years since I immigrated to Israel and started breeding Canaan dogs.  A great part of my life, time and possessions over those years has been devoted to these captivating dogs.  Most of it has been fascinating, challenging, and satisfying, though it has never in any way been easy.  And at times it has been very difficult, discouraging, and even in some ways tragic.  I have never regretted it.

Has it been worthwhile?  How can we judge if what we have done with our lives has been 

worthwhile?  I have not saved lives or done anything world changing.  But I have changed the lives of many by providing them with a unique and loyal companion with whom to share their lives and from whom they were able to learn a great deal.  I can take credit for saving this breed; if I had not become fascinated by them from my first meeting with them, and come to Israel with the intention of preserving and breeding them, and had I not clung to my dream through all the very hard times when you couldn't even give a Canaan puppy away as a gift, when we lived in "survival mode", the breed would not exist today.

I have had many, many Canaans over these years that I have lived with, loved, and worked with and I am still learning from them.  Whenever I start to think that they can't surprise me anymore, they prove I am wrong.

So what difference does it make if the Canaan Dog continues to exist or not?  Why is it important at all?

According to scientific research of the last years, the dog may exist as a unique species separate from the wolf for as long as 100,000 years or more, and has joined man as a true helper and partner as much as 15,000 to 20,000 years ago or more. Much research is still being done on this subject, but there is no doubt that the dog has been connected fo man for a very long time.

 However, almost all the breeds that we are familiar with today are "artificial".   Man created, through selective breeding, over multiple generations and thousands of years, dogs that would be suited to different and specific tasks – hunting, guarding, herding and more, dogs that were suited to various environments and weather conditions, and even for esthetic reasons – what is beautiful to one may not be to another. The most ancient breeds among these creations exist for 5000 to 10000 years.  But some of the most popular breeds today exist only 200 to 300 years or even less.  Strict selection with the intention of creating special and very "typey" breeds, that fit a very specific breed description, brought about the creation of more than 400 breeds of "pure bred" dogs, some of them with a very limited genetic base.

We see today the influence in many breeds of the diminished genetic variation caused by this strict selection for breed type, and in many breeds the discontinuance of breeding for the purpose of work, instead being bred as pets or show dogs only. As a result of this, we see the development of more and more diseases, genetic problems, distortions, behavior problems, and similar effects that result in damage to quality of life, health, and longevity of the dog, and suffering and extensive costs to the owner.

The Canaan is the dog that nature created.  He belongs to a very small group of "primitive dogs" or "pariah dogs" that in the past were found in most parts of the world, and today are becoming extinct and disappearing almost everywhere.  (Other examples:  the dingo of Australia, the New Guinea Singing Dog, the Carolina dog from the swamps of South Carolina in the US).  The primitive dogs are considered to be direct descendents of the original dog that became a partner of man tens of thousands of years ago, when the dog and wolf parted ways and the dog began coming close to human settlements.  The primitive dogs were never bred selectively.  The only things that influenced their appearance and behavior were nature and the ability to function and survive.

There is a lot of interest in the world today in primitive dogs in general and in the Canaan in particular.  From these dogs we learn a great deal about what a dog is – what the natural characteristics of the dog are, what his basic relationship to man is, what abilities, drives, instincts he possesses, his use of his especially keen senses, and more.  In addition, because the Canaan is a completely natural dog, and we breeders through the years have made a great effort not to change him, he, in contrast to so many other breeds of dog, is a very healthy dog, with great endurance and adaptability, with an excellent life expectancy, a dog with physical and mental abilities that allow him to function in a very efficient manner in a wide variety of environments, conditions, and tasks.  His temperament is very special – on the one hand, he is very bonded and devoted to his "pack", but he is a partner reserving to himself the right to make his own decisions, decisions that are still influenced by the necessities of survival, a basic characteristic of these dogs. Building a partnership with him and learning to understand him is without a doubt very similar to the relationships of early dogs with their people, and is always a challenge.   Understanding the Canaan gives us the tools to understand better all of our other breeds of dog that developed from this original template.

The Canaan is considered an Israeli breed.  This is the type of dog that developed in this specific area of the world and nowhere else, and was totally suited to the environment and the necessities of survival.  There are archaeological proofs of this, which show that the breed exists here for thousands of years – when the bible mentions dogs, it is the Canaan. The Canaan dog is recognized by the Israel Kennel Club and all world kennel organizations as an Israeli breed, and today there is breeding of the Canaan in many countries of the world. There are few other primitive breeds that have achieved such widespread recognition.

Today there are breed clubs in the US, England, Germany, France, and Finland, and aside from these countries, there is breeding in Italy, Hungary, Poland, Norway, and Sweden, and a small number of Canaans in other countries.  The number of Canaans in the world is considered to be 2000 to 3000.  Aside from breeding, there is more and more participation with the dogs in shows and also in a variety of canine sports, where the dogs are proving their abilities.  The leader in this are the clubs in the US, with a large number of dogs participating in competitions of agility, herding, various obedience levels, lure coursing, barn hunt, and more.  The dogs are gaining more and more admirers, in particular for their health and versatility.

I mentioned before the problems created in many breeds due to their very limited genetic base.  The Canaan is one of the few breeds in the world that still has a relatively broad genetic base and still has the possibility of inclusion of new bloodlines from the desert – there are still Canaans that are free living or semi wild in the south of Israel and Canaans that are working dogs with the Bedouin.  But these sources, as a result of the spread of civilization into natural areas, are disappearing and we are afraid that in a few years there will no longer be a population of free living dogs left in these areas.  It is very important that we now bring as many of these dogs in from the Bedouin and the free living population as possible, to refresh bloodlines and avoid the problems that other breeds have encountered.  Breeders of the Canaan dog throughout the world are interested in this subject and in the possibility of obtaining dogs of new bloodlines.  These dogs can only come primarily from stock from Israel and close surroundings.

Throughout history, the Canaan dog was not developed through selective breeding and human choice, but through the survival of the fittest, the strongest, the smartest in their difficult environment.  The Canaan developed and adapted to the necessities of the environment.  Over the years, puppies were caught as needed and raised to be guardians.

It is essential to continue with the activities of bringing in new stock from the desert in the next few years, before they disappear.  The Canaan Dog is a living heritage and needs to be preserved, as he is, to teach us about what the original dog really was.  At least, I believe that it is very important, that the loss of the natural Canaan is as important and relevant to us as the loss of any other natural species.

In order to increase the possibilities of identifying pure Canaans from the population still existing in nature, we have started the Canaan Dog Preservation Project, to develop a DNA profile of the breed that will allow us to identify dogs brought in from free living sources.  We have already been collecting DNA samples from a number of sources for the research, and the project is ongoing.  In Israel, there are friends who live in relevant areas and have information and connections with the Bedouin groups who are on the outlook for dogs that can be brought in and possibly added to the gene pool.  There are few breeds anywhere that have possibilities like this.

But I am sad to say that I see very little practical interest in the project in the Canaan dog community.

It is common to talk, not only in the Canaan world, but among dog breeders in general, about "breed preservation" or "preservation breeding".  There are a significant number of breeds with a very small genetic base and a very small population of the breed, which is continuing to shrink due to very few litters born.

Preservation breeding is not a matter, though, of producing large numbers of puppies.

I think these words of Carol Beuchet (The Institute of Canine Biology) are very important:

"We should be treating dogs like the invaluable resource they are. We need to preserve not just the animals but also their gene pools, including those of land races, ancestral breeds, and village dogs that are the living reservoirs of canine genetic diversity. We need to document the breeds of the world and their current population sizes and genetic status, and we need to create the kinds of monitoring and development programs already in place for other domestic breeds of importance. We need to train breeders in the methods of sustainable breeding and provide them with the expertise and tools they need to be "preservation breeders". We will need scientific expertise, computer and database technology, the cooperation of thousands of breeders around the world, and funding.

Instead of breeding for perfection and purity, the most important - and urgent - consideration of breeders should be preservation. The loss of genetic diversity over time can be insidious, and genetic rehabilitation or restoration of a breed is difficult. Breeders reluctant to make the best use of genetic diversity existing in a breed because it involves using less than spectacular animals will find it infinitely more difficult to consider a genetic rescue that will require crossing to another breed.

Genetic management for breed preservation will require breeders to take a long view that considers the potential consequences of today's decisions on the breed generations down the road. It will require cooperation and transparency among breeders on both a regional and global scale. It will require educating breeders and finding appropriate rewards for good genetic management instead of ribbons for success in the ring. There are hundreds of dog breeds. This is going to require a serious and substantial commitment."

The Canaan Dog Project is intended to be a significant tool in effective breed preservation.  We believe very much in this description and in the necessity for action.  Canaan people in principle also speak about the importance of breed preservation.  But it requires more than talk…

I am afraid of what I see happening in our modern world.  There are more and more laws and regulations being enacted that are anti-dog, that show a total lack of understanding of dogs and their needs, and their relationships to us humans.  Organizations that claim to be promoting "animal rights" are actually advocating for the end of domestic animals in general and dogs in particular.  When I see what is happening, I am in a way glad that I am old and will probably not live to see the final result of what is going on now.  I don't want to live in a world without dogs.

I am very proud of the development of the breed in the fifty years since I began with this very special dog, of its success in receiving a respected place in the dog world.  I am very proud of the accomplishments of my dogs over the years, not just in the show ring, but in a variety of tasks which have been beneficial  to many.  I am proud of the Canaans around the world which are showing the adaptability, intelligence, trainability, and partnership they are capable of in a variety of sports and more. (And I am proud to say that most of the Canaans in the world are descendants of Shaar Hagai dogs from my breeding).

I can only hope that the breed will continue to develop and be preserved as a natural and unique dog, with interest and participation in preservation by breeders around the world.  We need to have common goals and to cooperate.  The Canaan has been a shining example in the dog world of the acceptance and development of a natural breed and the possibilities of gaining recognition with all the official organizations.  We must continue and become an example of proper breed preservation.

It's up to you all now!

Goodbye

A few weeks ago I had to say goodbye to my best friend.  I have not really been able to write about it 

until now, and as I think about it, my eyes fill with tears.

How strange is this relationship we build with another species, an animal that is so different from us 

in so many ways, but also so similar.  That we can love so deeply, as much or even more than we love others of our own species, and that is able to love us back just as deeply, although we make so many mistakes in our relationships with him.  That bonds to us and tolerates our various stupidities and lack of understanding, although they understand us so well.  The only other species that by choice prefers to live with us rather than with his own kind.

Habibi and I bonded from the moment we looked into each other's eyes, when he was a tiny puppy of two months old.  We trusted each other implicitly; we were always there to support one another.  We communicated in many ways; Habibi understood me without the need for words, and I tried to understand him as well as he understood me.

We did almost everything together.  He accompanied me to the classes I taught and sat next to me, keeping discipline with his penetrating gaze.  We worked together with nose work and searching, things that he really loved doing, and he taught me so much about the marvelous abilities of a dog's nose and about persistence and determination.  He liked to play, and would retrieve and do various tricks, but only a few times – enough, beneath his dignity to behave like a border collie.

He was a show dog and became a champion.  This was not an activity that he liked, but he put up with it for my sake, and ignored the commotion and the many other dogs around, though he really didn't understand why I wanted to do this or have him touched by strangers.  But he trusted my decisions and was always ready to cooperate.

He was very discriminating.  There were few people that he really considered to be his friends.  He was polite to most, after giving them a warning that they were in his territory now and they had better watch their manners.  There were a few that he disliked at first glance, and he did his best to protect me from them, standing in front of me and warning them off.  He could look very ferocious when he was standing at the gate and defending his territory – but he never, in his life, attacked anyone.  He didn't need to, no one wanted to see if he was really serious.

The only person he ever bit was my good friend Isabella.  I had to leave the dogs with her for several days after moving to Italy, when I had to take a trip home.  The dogs had only known her for a few days, and when she came to take Habibi out of his crate, his own familiar sleeping place, he looked at her, nipped the hand reaching for his collar, and clearly said, "Who are you and what right do you have to do this?"  Isabella understands Canaans very well and is a very good communicator, and within minutes, the two came to an agreement of cooperation. Isabella became Habibi's best friend after me, he adored her and would act like a silly puppy with her.

Many people knew him and admired him.  He taught many people what a Canaan dog is in truth.  They felt honored when he agreed to accept their petting.

He was my bed dog.  He was not spoiled or pampered, and spent his first years with me sleeping in his basket next to the bed.  But when I was waiting to go into hospital for an operation, and was very stressed, he decided that the time had come to give me more comfort and he moved on to the bed.  When I returned from the hospital, uncomfortable and sore, he stayed on the bed curled up close.  And from then on, his place was in bed with me, usually curled at my feet, but at times pressed against me.  There is nothing more comforting than a dog in bed…

He was the top dog.  He didn't have to demonstrate it, everyone knew it.  He was respected by the other dogs.  He was wonderful with puppies, very patient and tolerant, but able to correct their behavior with just the right amount of display without ever hurting or frightening them. 

There is so much more that could be said about this dog who was my companion for 11 years, through good times and bad, through changes that we never could have anticipated, and he coped with everything with dignity.  There are many stories about him in this blog.

He was only a dog, so when he started to develop symptoms of the disease that took his life, he went on trying his best to function, without complaint.  When his body betrayed him, his mind remained clear and our bond remained as strong as ever.  We communicated with our eyes, until finally he closed his and went quietly to sleep.

The other dogs felt his loss deeply.  They are still looking for him.   For me, he holds a place in my 

heart that will be his forever.

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