Bulgaria: Stray Dogs Have Attacked and Bitten 9 year Old Child in Dupnitsa
Stray dogs attacked and seriously wounded a 9-year-old child in the town of Dupnitsa, Southwestern Bulgaria..
By Amy Sacks
Just in time for Christmas, a homeless dog found starving on the streets of Bulgaria received the ultimate gift: a loving family, a barn roof over his head - and his own flock of sheep.
"The instinct to protect in these dogs is so strong that I decided to give him a chance here," said Dorothy Benedict, who runs the Windy Hamlet Farm in central Massachusetts and adopted the Karakachan dog, named Luchko (Luke).
Luke's new role is to protect Benedict's flock of Icelandic sheep from coyotes and other predators, and keep black bears away from the beehives on the 50-acre farm.
Benedict inquired about the needy dog around Thanksgiving after spotting him on the website of the Bulgarian Society for Animal Protection & Preservation.
"He was starving and looked pathetic," she said, of the roughly 18-month-old livestock guard dog. "They aren't happy when they're not working."
The rescue group contacted Manhattan-based animal rescuer Anna Saar McGonigle, who had seen firsthand the many street dogs in Bulgaria that desperately needed homes.
"They said Luke had a potential adopter but needed a 'travel buddy' who could fly with him from Sofia, preferably before Christmas," said Saar McGonigle, referring to Bulgaria's capital.
She quickly reached out to her friend Elizabeth Frank, a novelist and English professor at Bard College, who was due to return from a sabbatical in Bulgaria.
The first week in December, Frank and Luke landed at Newark Airport. Saar McGonigle welcomed them there with a handmade Bulgarian sign and a bone-shaped dog treat that Luke devoured en route to his foster home in Tribeca.
While living as a street dog, Luke had eaten from garbage cans and had to defend himself from other strays.
He never had the chance to do the work he was bred for, but Benedict said he's learning fast.
The stately brown-and-white pup is warming up to his partner, Emily, the farm's alpha Maremma-Karakachan dog, as well as its resident chickens and lone donkey.
"He's learning a whole new life right now," said Benedict, who uses the sheep's unique earth-tone fleece to create felted clothing, which she sells on www.sheep2chic.com. (The sheep are never slaughtered or sold.)
Once he's up to speed, Luke will be on duty 24 hours a day.
The Karakachan dog originated in Bulgaria and is one of Europe's oldest breeds, created for guarding its owner's flocks and property. It does not hesitate to fight wolves or bears or coyotes to defend its owner and family.
The breed flourished for centuries until the 1940s, when the Bulgarian government placed livestock on communal farms. The Karakachan dogs were no longer needed and became dangerously close to extinction.
It is estimated that there are only about 700 of these dogs worldwide, and between 100 and 200 in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Saar McGonigle is hoping to raise awareness of the plight of stray dogs in Bulgaria, despite the animal overpopulation crisis right here at home.
"Instinctively one wants to help suffering wherever one sees it and whatever form it may be in," she said.
To learn more about the plight of Bulgarian dogs or to donate, adopt or volunteer, go to www.bulgariadogs.webs.com.
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