Our Fabulous Dog and His Cousins

I posted the story about the dog in Argentina the other day because it was such an amazing story.  Ok, I know it's almost two years old now, but an amazing story nonetheless.  In our quest to discover Tashi's true ancestry (the owners of the store could not verify) we've taken to some detective work.  When we walk him around (I mean, drag as he sits on his butt and refuses to move only to come inside and run around like a bat out of hell), people will say, "Oh wow, a Jindo dog."  But, he's not.  Jack has just given in and tells people he is a Jindo dog, and if you look at pictures on the web of Jindo dogs, he doesn't look all that different from the fawn variety.  However, we are sure that he is at least related to the kind of dog known as Jeju dog. Like Jindo, Jeju is a small island off the coast of Korea. 

Below, I detail the dogs indigenous to Korea.  Only the Jindo is widely known, and a couple of them have been near extinction at some point in time due to war and poverty.

The first of these is the Sasparee, perhaps the coolest dog in Korea.  I love this dog and, if we stay here indefinitely and feel confident about getting another and also have a house with a yard (this is a big dog) I would love to have one in our family.  These dogs have a long history in Korea.  They are known to be gentle and people believe they help ward off evil spirits.  A television show here in which shamans explore abandoned or haunted buildings feature a Sasparee as the "spirit dog." More information on this beautiful dog can be found here:
http://media.daum.net/foreign/englishnews/view.html?cateid=1047&newsid=20101118191814937&p=koreaherald
Apparently, during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945), Japanese soldiers killed these dogs and used their fur to make coats.  The result was the near-eradication of these beautiful, gentle dogs.  A Korean geneticist has almost single-handedly brought the Sasparee back from extinction.  You can adopt a Sasparee from only one official breeder in Korea.

The next is the Jindo dog.  This dog has a very distinctive, muscular body with a bushy tail that curves over the body.  The head is large with a very distinctive shape.  The Jindo is a medium-sized, double-coated spitz-type dog. . Identifying the Jindo from mixes and other breeds is often done by close examination of head features. The forhead on the Jindo tends to be rounded and without wrinkles.  The Jindo dog's appearance gives the impression of intelligence, strength, and agility. They are known to be good hunters as well as known for their extreme loyalty and devotion to their owners.  I read a story about an 83 year-old woman who, in 1993, sold her Jindo dog to someone in the city of Daejeon, almost two-hundred miles away on the mainland. The dog escaped her new home and returned to her original owner after seven months, thoroughly exhausted from her travels. Touched by Baekgu's loyalty, the woman kept her until Baekgu died of natural causes seven years later. Baegku's story has been told through cartoons, a TV documentary, and a children's storybook. Jindo County erected a statue to Baekgu in 2004 to honor her for her loyalty.

 

The pul gae (or fire dog) is probably given this name because of its distinctive reddish color.  The dog's coat and eyes and nose all have a similar tint, giving the dog a unique look.  The dog, compared to other Korean breeds, is most wolf-like in appearance.

 

The Jeju dog is similar in shape to the Jindo dog, especially in the body and head, but it is shorter in stature and the tail has a less-pronounced bushy look and is straighter and more upward-pointing than that of the Jindo. They have tawny brown hair. Like the Jindo, they have muscular bodies and powerful hind legs.  Because of their speed, they make ideal hunting companions. They have been known to hunt pheasant, deer, and badgers. They make loyal guard dogs, but when ordered to attack prey they are known to become aggressive (no kidding). Some people have guessed that Jeju dogs originated in China, moved down the Peninsula, and came to Jeju island some 3,000 years ago. It is unclear who brought the animals to the island and why.  The Jeju dog  eventually became used as a military dog, but when the Jeju dog was no longer used actively in military service (say, after the Korean War--I also blame extreme poverty), people used the Jeju dog as a food source so the dogs dwindled down to near extinction, with only three found on the entire island of Jeju in 1986.  Since then, an aggressive campaign of breeding has yielded a current population of close to three hundred. Yet, ‘pure bread’ Jeju dogs were estimated at around 70 as of September 2010. In 2010 people working in animal husbandry requested the Jeju dog be designated as a national treasure like the Jindo dog (which is why you don't find too many Jindo dogs abroad since, as a 'national treasure,' it is almost impossible to export the dog without doing it illegally) in order to protect the breed. Well, "breed" here is used  loosely as I don't think, until recently, people intentionally bred Jeju dogs at all.  The island is small and relatively isolated, which, I think, resulted in consistent traits for the dogs living on that island. Some sources even list the Jeju as a mixed breed or mutt, but those arguing for national treasure designation obviously think otherwise. Of course, how many years of breeding within a certain population makes a particular breed?  If over hundreds of years, or even decades, I can agree with the official breed designation, even if not intentional (well, until now, that is). Tashi looks like a Jeju dog, even if he's 'faux.'

The primary incentive for figuring out Tashi's ancestry is to make sure there are no genetic problems or issues we need to head off at the pass. It also helps us get a better idea about his disposition as this will aid us in training (although we already knew he was aggressive [and stubborn, but not sure if that is a 'breed' trait but rather Tashi's special little personality]--but hey, he's smart). It's fun to think he's a Jeju dog, but none of it really matters beyond the fact that he is a great little dog.  Tashi's working hard at his training.  We're still having "it's my way or the highway" issues, but he's getting a lot better at focusing and paying attention outside.  Now, if we can just get him to walk with us in the direction we want to go in.... Thinking we may call the trainer because it will be totally worth it for a one-on-one session. We love Tashi!