Evening star., 1941-10-11
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

oX 4 hOHtuo ~ ilCfH g.
Three of the worlds fiercest watchdogs
now are guarding the brush-covered en-
virons of the Naval Radio Station at
Annapolis.
They are "choban kopeks," or Turkish
sheep dogs, transferred to the Navy from
the United States Department of Agri-
culture to which they were presented in
1898 by His EXcellency Mehmet Munlr
Ertegun. Turkish Ambassador to Wash
ington, to be used in breeding exper1-
ments.
About the size of German police dogs
and brown in color with black stripes,
dogs, say Department of Agriculture
scientists who know them
IF you yentured around the radlo
station at night when these dogs were
loose" said one of these scientists, you
simply wouldn't come back alive
To persons they know, however, the
animals are gentle and affectionate and
they we're popular pets at the Bureau
of Animal Husbandry breeding station
at Beltsville, Md.
In Turkey where, in other MoSlem
countries, the dog is regarded as an
unClean creature, the choban kopeKs
are given a special semi-human status
which exempts them from the contempt
in which other animals of their kind
are held.
For some years the Department OF
Agriculture has been experimenting with
various dog crosses in order TO approach
as near as possible the perfect sheep
dog. The Turkish Ambassador present.
ed a pair of the choban kopekS to the
American Government in 1888 in the
hope that they would fit into this breed
ing work. Unfortunately the project
came to an end before much could be
done with them. Because of their size
they were very expensive to feed and
house, and when the Navy made re-
quest for the best available watchdogS
they were selected for transfer.
Sent to Annapolis were the original
Turkish pair, weighing about rs pounds
each, and their eldest son, who tips the
scales at 80 pounds. One of their prog
eny, sent to a private breeder, weighs
100 pounds. The Department of Agri-
culture has retained a single female
described as a timid, gentle creature,
too friendly with strangers to pass as
a watchdog
The Department of Agriculture spe-
cialists found the Turkish animals eX-
cellent sheep herders, of gentle dlsposl-
ton with persons they knew, and with
excellent nervous stability. They were
notable for keeping cool in emergencies.
The difficulty was that they were eX-
tremely independent, hard to train to
obey orders, and dangerous to be let
loose The original pair never did be-
come safe, except to their immediate
attendants. The puppies, however, were
quite friendly with everybody, once they
became acquainted, and have the some
what disconcerting habit of standing
up and trying to lick the noses OF their
friends.
The extreme fierceness with strangers,
the Department of Agriculture special
lists believe, is largely a matter OF train
ing and could be overcome, at least in
few generations. The animals never
are friendly with other breeds of dogs
and cannot be kept safely around other
animals.
Probably the nearest relatives, say
Department of Agriculture geneticlstS,
are Tibetan mastiffs. They come from
the Erzum district of East Central Tur-
key. where they have been bred for GEN.
turieS. but without any breeding assocl-
alton to certify the purity of the strain.
At Annapolis the animals are tied up
during the day, but freed at night TO
guard the reservation. There is no
possibility that they will attack any
body except some unauthorized intruder,
who, it is presumed, would be an alien
spv or saboteur. AS guards they are
likely to strike more terror into the
hearts of trespassers than any bayonet-
armed sailor or marine and their wild
barking probably would attract atten-
ton only in time to save the intruder's
life.
But the Department of Agriculture
dog breeding specialists miss their pets.
The only man badly bitten by them,
they say, was a new appointee to the
laboratory who was careless in not in
cro+iotino hirosel with them