Anatolian Shepherd Dogs
I was driving through the Garland Prairie in northern Arizona trying to escape the summer heat. The Garland Prairie is located in the high country, rolling prairie grasslands interspersed with small clumps of pine forest. I was driving through one of the clumps of forest, enjoying the summer shade when suddenly I was surrounded by sheep. There were hundreds of sheep grazing between the trees.
As my automobile slowed to a crawl, a large dog approached me, walking down the center of the road. He meandered between the sheep, weaving slowly towards me but maintained direct eye contact at all times. The dog was massive, maybe 120 pounds. He looked like a golden retriever on steroids. I was informed later that this canine was an Anatolian Sheperd Dog.
The dog seemed very happy with a large smile plastered upon his face. The sheep continued to graze oblivious to much else beside the herd. As sheep go, they seemed rather content and happy. They probably felt very safe and secure under the protective stare of their dog.
Sheep were brought to the western part of the North American continent by the Spanish Coronado-led expedition in 1540. While Coronado and his soldiers searched for mythical kingdoms like Cibola and Quivira, a sergeant named Melchior Diaz was sent west to see if the expedition could be resupplied by sea. Diaz was accompanied by a dozen plus soldiers and about 40 sheep. Diaz crossed one of the driest deserts in the world to try and reach the ocean. The soldiers and the sheep may have been thirsty, and the wolves in the region were delighted. 40 sheep in this dry and arid region must have looked to the wolves like a travelling banquet.
Every evening, while the soldiers huddled around the campfire, the wolves circled in the wilderness, howling continuously. Every morning there were one or two fewer sheep.
As their supply of mutton dwindled, Melchior Diaz concluded that he must battle the wolves. Diaz wore metal armor, mounted his horse, and grabbed his lance. Melchior raced across the sand dunes chasing the wolves on horseback. Melchior thrust the tip of his lance at a fleeing canine but the wolf zigged when Diaz was expecting it to zag. The tip of the lance struck the desert earth and ricocheted back inflicting a painful and very embarrassing injury.
Melchior Diaz lay in the shade on a day when the temperature may have hit 110 degrees, slowly dying from a self-inflicted groin wound. It is said that on full moon nights when the wolves are howling, the ghost of Melchior Diaz rises from the grave, still wearing his battle armor and still mounted on horseback. The ghost of Melchior Diaz chases the wolves across the desert beneath the light of the full moon.
Melchior Diaz is believed to be the first post-Colombian ghost to inhabit North America. The story also reveals that conflicts between shepherds and predators arose as soon as sheep were introduced to the region. For many years a bounty was offered on wolf pelts until the beasts were driven mostly extinct from the United States.
The history of sheep in the southwest is colorful and diverse. The Navajo learned sheepherding from the Spanish and it has become an important part of Navajo mythology, imbued with mythology and ritual.
As a teenaged orphan, Kit Carson took a herd of sheep numbering in the thousands from New Mexico to the gold fields of California. It launched the career of a mountain man nicknamed The Pathfinder. The American West often saw violent confrontations between sheepherders and cattle ranchers. The violent Billy the Kid saga began with conflicts between cattle men and sheep ranchers. In Arizona, the bloody Pleasant Valley War was also a battle over grazing rights.
Although not as prevalent as it was 100 years ago, sheepherding is still practiced in Arizona. Many mountainous creeks have places that wear the name Sheep’s Crossing. After Congress passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973, no longer could men with rifles, dogs, and horses hunt predators completely out of a region. Soon, shepherds began to introduce Anatolian Shepherd Dogs into the region.
This day, as my vehicle rolls along the dirt road surrounded by sheep, the Anatolian Sheperd Dog walks slowly and directly towards my car. The dog maintains eye contact with me the whole time. The dog lays down in the middle of the road, facing me with his legs crossed. He is blocking the road.
I brake to a complete stop. The dog is smiling. There are dozens of sheep to my left but hundreds to my right. The dog looks at the sheep on the left and barks at them. The dog tosses his head, pointing his nose towards where the rest of the herd are grazing. The sheep on the left march obediently to the right side of the road, joining the rest of the herd. Then, the dog rises to his feet and marches off the road.
I drive away hoping one day to be as Zen cool, confident, and competent as that dog.
