Mektup of Obruk
Putting the record straight . . .

Mektup of Obruk

Mektup was imported from a shepherding village in Turkey in 1971 as a puppy by Dr.Nicholas Flemming and Miss Natalka Czartoryska. She was bred by the shepherd Ali Ozturk from the village of Obruk, just south of the Central Anatolian Lake Tuz Golu. It is Dr Flemming's recollection that a great deal of bargaining took place between them and the shepherd to obtain the puppy they named Mektup.

Dr.Flemming and Miss.Czartoryska were on archeolical field trips to Rhodes, Crete, Cypress and Turkey. They travelled Turkey extensively between 1969 and 1974, and Dr Flemming recalls how thorough Miss Czartoryska was ith her selection process, and the length of time spent with the shepherds and dogs before bargaining for their best working dogs!

Fawn puppies

The next year, Mektup and Yali produced another litter of 5 all fawn puppies (Dev, Raki, Sanli, Tolgar, and Zarif).

In February 1977, Dr Flemming and Miss Czartoryska invested in taking Mektup back to Turkey to mate her to a suitable working dog. On the 13th February 1977 Mektup was mated to a fine white working Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Akkus of Oltan.

The notes on this dog made at the time say "Outstanding top flock guard in the area. Special expedition made from village with owner into mountains to ‘sheep station’ – finally mated Mektup to Akkus after 5 hours of courtship!".

Mektup was then re-imported to the UK, and in quarantine, on 15^th April 1977, a litter of 6 fawn puppies were born. They were registered under Dr.Flemming’s ‘Havuz’ affix (Bokiz, Dalga, Kaplan, Tarak, Yosma, and Zinde). Interestingly, Havuz Zinde was acquired by Miss Pauline Hosker of the ‘Truvas’ kennel, and then went on to Mr & Mrs Broadhead of the ‘Seacop’ kennel for breeding, records showing that Zinde whelped at least three litters.

There was a further Havuz litter out of Mektup, before the first Hisar Litter was registered in 1979 after the separation of Dr Flemming and Miss Czartoryska’s partnership. The first ‘Hisar’ litter was the pairing of Havuz Dalga, with a Turkish import Arilan, owned by Mr John Lloyd. The mating resulted in a litter of 4 fawn puppies registered under Miss Czartoryska’s ‘Hisar’ affix (Ates, Karaman, Tugla, and Yavuz). The same year, Miss Czartoryska produced another litter by Mektup and Yali, this time, a litter of 6, still all fawn! (Simar, Yagma, Yakin, Yanar, Yatagan and Yesim). One of the most well known Mektup daughter’s is Hisar Yarin, who was a big show winner. She went to Miss Pauline Hosker’s ‘Truvas’ Kennel, where she whelped at least 5 litters.

Mektup whelped a total of 8 litters between 1975 and 1982 (43 Progeny). Mektup produced dogs which were sound, long lived and adaptable, and she herself was hip-x-rayed HD clear and lived a long happy life with Natalka ruling the roost until her death in 1987 from kidney failure.

This article is compiled using my own personal experience with Mektup, whom I had the pleasure of knowing for the last 7 years of her life, along with Kennel Club Records, and communications with Dr.Flemming (Oct.2004).

I hope that this information will help to put to bed the myths, rumours and fantasies about Mektup and her origins.

Caroline Southen
Hisar Anatolian Shepherd Dogs (UK)
web: www.kehlibar.netfirms.com
Havuz Anatolians 1975 – 1979 Dr Nicholas Flemming OBE
Hisar Anatolians 1979 - 1998 The Late Miss Natalka Czartoryska
Hisar Anatolians 1998 – present Mrs Caroline Southen

Other reading on Anatolian Shepherd Dog Breed History

• Comparative Analysis of Two Different Strains of Anatolian Shepherd Dogs: Yoruks and Kangals - by Guvener Isik
• Stray, Street and/or Pariah Dogs - by Guvener Isik
• The Greyhound Of Anatolia: Turkmen Tazi - by Guvener Isik
• Bozkir Canavari: The Steppe Monster - by Guvener Isik
• Interview with Dogan Kartay - by Guvener Isik
• Malak and Furthermore Greyhound Turca - by Guvener Isik
• Excerpt on Breed History - "The Heritage of the Dog" (Book Review) - by Jennifer Floyd
• Letter from Sue Goldhor - Real Working Dogs - Anatolian History - by Dr Susan Goldhor
• Collecting Dogs - by Dr Susan Goldhor
• Finding Capar - by Susan Goldhor 
• Gentrification of Working Breeds - Good or Bad? - by John Burchard Ph.D
• The Sheep of Turkey - Relationship between Turkish sheep colors and Anatolian colors. - by Catherine de la Cruz 
• Mektup of Obruk - Putting the Record Straight - by Caroline Southen
• UKC Article - about the Anatolian - by Mary McDaniel
• Yal: The Traditional Dog Food In Anatolia - by Guvener Isik
• Dog Days - A gift from a Turkish Ambassador - by Dee Brown
• The Kuvasz Akbas Relationship - by Guvener Isik
• Sirtlan - Traditional Values - by Guvener Isik
• Morkaraman Dogs of Agri -by Guvener Isik
  

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