About
Mystic Anatolians
How I got into Anatolians
Dogs have always been a part of my life. I was raised around Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes and German Shepherd Dogs. I got my first dog at the age of 7. I've had my own dogs ever since.
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Back in 2004 I attended my first dog show. I was looking into adding another dog to my family. I had what I was looking for in mind. I was talking to some people of a breed that I was interested in and meeting some dogs. When I was walking away from the ring after talking to the handlers/owners my Mother stopped me and asked "What kind of dog is that?" I didn't even see what she was talking about at first. Then I saw it. I had the name on the tip of my tongue but couldn't get it out. I had never seen one in person and never expected to see it at the show. It was an Anatolian Shepherd Dog!
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I just stood there and stared at it for what seemed like forever. I locked eyes with the dog from across the room. It was a look I'd never forget. It was so magnetic. That image stayed in my head for the rest of the day. It's still in my head to this day. We were in a hurry to get seats for the main show so I went on about my day but kept thinking about the dog I saw.
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Later that night after the show, I was sitting at home relaxing and looking through a book that I had bought at the show. I came across the working group and there was the Anatolian Shepherd Dog! I had known the name from seeing it briefly before but never really looked into the breed. I read about it and it seemed like the perfect dog for me. It was everything I had ever wanted in a dog.
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Over the next few months, I researched everything I could find on the breed. The more I researched about them, the more I fell in love with them. The history of the breed just amazed me too. I read everything I could find and even called some people that owned them so I could talk to them and find out more about the breed. The Anatolian Shepherd Dog was the dog I was looking for. I decided to call a breeder to see about possibly getting a pup, then a short time later I had my very own Anatolian Shepherd Dog.
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I knew after my first Anatolian Shepherd Dog came home that this was going to be it for the rest of my life. They bring so much joy and happiness to my life and have taught me so much about life and about myself. Every day is a new learning experience. Once you think that you know them, they do something to throw you off and every day I'm still learning about myself because of them. I will always have Anatolian Shepherd Dogs in my life. I've got the Anatolian Addiction! You can never have just one!
About Mystic Anatolians
I am a member of Anatolian Shepherd Dogs International, Inc. I am an Anatolian Shepherd Dogs International, Inc. Code of Ethics Breeder and abide by the ASDI, Inc. Code of Ethics. I was also a member of the Anatolian Shepherd Dogs of America for 18 years but dropped my membership since too many changes were taking place and it was no longer beneficial for me to keep my membership.
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We take pride in our dogs here at Mystic Anatolians. They are enjoying life! They love having a job to do. They were originally brought here to be my family companions and guardians but over time I wanted to expose them to livestock and let them do what they have been bred to do for thousands of years. I decided to add goats to our family and introduce the dogs to them. The older dogs have adapted very well to the goats and the younger ones were introduced to them as puppies. I have since added poultry also. The dogs love having the livestock to protect and doing what Anatolians were bred to do. The dogs here enjoy all aspects of life. They have times that they are inside and enjoying the family life but also are able to work and protect the livestock. They have constant access to the livestock. They have free roam to be where they want to be and can choose to be inside with me or outside with the herd. Having them enjoy family life along with being with the livestock has not affected their true guarding instincts over the herd at all. They are wonderful guardians to me, the home/property and the livestock. We have predators here such as coyotes, fox, large predator birds, bobcats, fisher cats and even bear. I am very proud to report that we have not had one predator attempt to come near the livestock with these dogs around. The dogs here at Mystic Anatolians are very well socialized and have been since they arrived here. They are able to be taken places with me and be taken out in public. They are taken through obedience classes and some of them have been tested and received their Canine Good Citizen certification from the AKC. A couple of them are also being shown in conformation shows with the AKC and UKC. Most importantly, these dogs are my family and my life.
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How did I choose the kennel name Mystic Anatolians? Two definitions of Mystic are: 1. Inspiring a sense of mystery and wonder. 2. Inducing a feeling of awe or wonder. If you know this breed, that describes them perfectly. When I first saw an Anatolian Shepherd in person, I had that overwhelming feeling of awe and wonder. After owning and living with them all these years, I still get that feeling and also the sense of mystery. These dogs are nothing like any other breed that I've ever come across. They are so intelligent and magnetic. I often wonder about the mysteries of the breed and how they survived so long and stayed true for over 6,000 years. They are the most amazing dogs that I have ever had the pleasure to meet and own.
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