The Kangal Turkey’s National Treasure and Its Silent Victim

Few breeds embody the strength, loyalty, and heritage of a nation quite like the Kangal. Revered for centuries in Turkey, this magnificent guardian dog has protected flocks, families, and rural communities across the vast Anatolian plateau. The Kangal is officially recognised as Turkey’s national dog, a living symbol of courage, intelligence, and devotion.

Yet behind the patriotic pride and folklore lies a painful contradiction: while celebrated as a national treasure, the Kangal is also among the most misunderstood, exploited, and persecuted dogs in the country.

A Proud Heritage

Originating in the Sivas region of central Turkey, the Kangal was bred for one purpose, protection. With its immense strength, thick double coat, and acute intelligence, the Kangal is uniquely suited to guarding livestock from wolves, bears, and other predators.

Centuries of selective breeding produced a dog of noble temperament, calm, loyal, and deeply bonded to its human companions. To rural shepherds, the Kangal was never merely a working animal; it was a partner, a protector, and part of the family.

So respected is the breed that the Kangal has become a source of national pride, its image appearing on stamps, monuments, and even government campaigns celebrating Turkish heritage.

From Symbol of Pride to Victim of Abuse

Tragically, the Kangal’s status has also made it a target. The same qualities that make the breed admired, its power, its courage, its loyalty have led to its exploitation and suffering.

In some regions, Kangals are used in illegal dog fighting, forced into brutal encounters with other dogs or wild animals. This horrific abuse is often disguised as tradition, despite being both unethical and criminal. Many of these dogs are maimed, killed, or abandoned after sustaining severe injuries.

Elsewhere, the Kangal is subjected to backyard breeding and crossbreeding for profit. Puppies are sold under the Kangal name to buyers who believe they are acquiring a piece of national heritage, when in reality, many of these dogs are poor imitations bred without regard for health or temperament. Overbreeding and neglect have led to countless Kangals ending up on the streets, in shelters, or suffering from genetic disorders.

Even in their homeland, purebred Kangals are sometimes confiscated, chained, or shot by those who fear large dogs part of a wider problem of anti-dog sentiment sweeping Turkey.

The Irony of Patriotism

It is deeply ironic that the very nation which claims the Kangal as a national symbol allows such cruelty and neglect to persist. While official statements praise the breed’s loyalty and bravery, little is done to protect it from abuse or to regulate breeding practices.

The Kangal’s image is used to evoke national pride, but the living dogs behind that image are too often abandoned, exploited, or destroyed. A true act of patriotism would be to protect and preserve the breed with respect and compassion, not through ownership, control, or exploitation, but through welfare and stewardship.

Protecting the Kangal’s Future

The Kangal deserves better, not just as a breed, but as a sentient being whose story is intertwined with Turkey’s own. Education, legal protection, and responsible breeding are essential if the Kangal is to be saved from both extinction and abuse.

Organisations like Dog Desk Animal Action continue to highlight the plight of these dogs, advocating for stronger animal welfare laws and promoting understanding of the Kangal’s true nature, loyal, gentle, intelligent, and deserving of dignity.

To love Turkey’s national dog is not to possess it, fight it, or display it.
To love the Kangal is to protect it.

How You Can Help

• Raise awareness share information about the plight of the Kangal and challenge harmful stereotypes.

• Support ethical rescues help organisations fighting cruelty and promoting responsible care.

• Advocate for animal welfare laws ask authorities to protect all dogs, including national breeds, from abuse.

The Kangal has stood guard over Turkey’s people and flocks for centuries. It’s time for Turkey and all of us to stand guard over the Kangal.