I have been interested
in animals in general and dogs in particular for as long as I can remember. As
a child, I always wanted a dog, but my parents were not great animal lovers, and although I did manage several times to bring
dogs home, they didnt last long. I promised my parents that, when I grew up,
I would have as many dogs as I wanted. Always believe your children when they say things like that!
Ever since I read the books of Albert Payson Terhune, my dream was collies. When I left home and went to work in New York, the first priority I had was to find a dog, and preferably
a collie. So Degel (flag in Hebrew, because of his constantly waving tail), a
tricolor collie dog that I rescued from the SPCA shelter, became my friend and constant companion. He loved everyone, and everyone in the neighborhood where I lived knew and loved him.
When after a year I returned to Israel, he of course accompanied me, together with his friend,
Wafi, an Israel Canaan Dog that had also joined our household. This was in 1969,
and these are the two breeds that I have lived with, loved, bred and showed since then.
They are very different from one another, and thus seem to complement one another.
Once back in Israel, I decided that I would like to start breeding collies. This was the start of the Netiv HaAyit collies, based on imports from many bloodlines and many parts of
the world, the requirement being that they fit my dream of the perfect collie, both in beauty and in behavior.
I live in Israel, in the area
known as the Judean Hills, about 16 kilometres outside of Jerusalem on the way to Tel Aviv. Although Israel is a very small
country, I managed to find an ideal place - we are in the middle of a national forest/ nature reserve, so we have no neighbours
closer than about 4 kilometres from us. So there is no one to complain about barking, and plenty of room for exercising the
dogs. And it is very beautiful here! Although I grew up and finished University in the U.S., I have been living in Israel
for over thirty years. I do travel a fair amount and try to keep up with what is going on in the dog world all over. Aside
from the dogs - at the moment I have seven rough collies, and one smooth and two roughs that are at the moment in the US,
three Border collies, and nine Canaan Dogs, I have a married daughter who lives next door and who has infected her husband
with the "dog bug", and three grandchildren who are also dog crazy. My daughter and son'in'law have Tibetan Mastiffs.
My kennel name, Netiv Ha'Ayit
means "the Path of the Eagle." It comes from two things - we have a nest of eagles on the mountain above the farm, which return
and raise their chicks here every year, and also it is based on "the look of eagles" which Albert Payson Terhune used to describe
collies in his wonderful books.
It
is easy to talk about the dogs as show animals, and list their achievements over the years, I have completed 25 Israel Champions,
7 International Champions, 2 World champions, 3 European Winners, and more, with more on the way to various titles most of
them being homebred. But for me, the dogs are first of all my friends and companions. Although they cant all live in the house at once (I do have a small house!), the kennel
is adjoining the house and surrounded by a yard and fence. The dogs are free
all the time, and can go into the kennel or run around as they wish. The door
between the house and the dogs is glass with a small porch adjoining, and the dogs spend a lot of time, when they are not
inside, lying on the porch watching everything that is going on in the house. My
puppies are all born in the house, and live inside until about six weeks of age.
I am also an FCI International judge, qualified to award CACIBs to a number
of breeds including all of Group 5, part of Group 1, and additional breeds in several other groups. I have written many articles on various aspects of dog behavior and care for journals in a number of countries,
and have had two books published in Israel and one in the US. I work, among other
things, as a counselor in dog behavior problems, and run training groups as well, to help people to learn to communicate properly
with their dogs.
We are always happy to meet people and talk dog so if anyone is planning to
visit Israel we will be pleased to have you get in touch and visit!
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Multi Ch. Barak me Shaar Hagai
|
| Isr.Ch.Koren me Shaar Hagai |
|
| Isr.Ch.Bazak me Shaar Hagai |
|
| MultiCh. Lahav me Shaar Hagai |
|
My other breed - the Canaan Dog
A few words about
my other breed, the Canaan Dogs. These are the native dogs of Israel, classified
as pariahs or primitive dogs. What is particularly fascinating about them is
that they have remained the same for thousands of years, not having been changed by selective breeding or fashion the only
factors controlling their development were the necessities of survival. They
are extremely devoted to their own people, indifferent to strangers not the kind of dog interested in being petted by everyone!
They are extremely alert and territorial and excellent watchdogs, but are not aggressive or quick to bite without a very good
reason. They are intelligent and easy to train, but have a basic core of independence,
which requires the development of a sound mutual relationship if you expect to get a good response from them. I have had a lot of success with the Canaans, having finished many Chs., Int.Chs, World Winners, and other
titles over the years. The collies and the Canaans seem to complement each other,
and get along well although the Canaans tend to be aggressive to strange dogs, somehow they dont seem to feel that collies
are dogs (our collies of course know that they are not dogs!) and they all get along well together.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
