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Participating in a show on the Continent, this handler from Poland presents two very typical PONs.
Then came the devastation of World War II, and everything breeders worked so hard to achieve was lost. Ms. Zoltowska did survive the war, including the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Two of her dogs also survived. She settled in Krakow, but nothing more was heard from her.
Dr. Danuta Hryniewicz with two of her Kordegardy PONs, Doman and Inkluz.
Int. Ch. Doman z Kordegardy won championships in Poland and the Czech Republic. This accomplished dog was bred by Dr. D. Hryniewicz.
In 1948 the Polish Kennel Club was founded and new attempts were made to rescue and establish the breed. Pioneer breeders found strong support from officials there, and tribute must be paid to the late Mrs. Dubrowinowa, who formulated the whole plan. These pioneer breeders were the late Mrs. Kusionowicz (Babia Weis), who was considered the pillar of the breed, and Dr. Danuta Hryniewicz (Kordegardy kennels), who continues her breeding to this day.
Pol. Ch. Wacpan z Kordegardy was born on March 7, 1979 out of Ustka z Kordegardy by Dran z Zeriby.
Dr. Hryniewicz, being a veterinarian and breeder, became very interested in her native shepherd dogs. The first two she purchased from shepherds were Kurta and Laska. She then purchased two puppies from Mrs. Kusionowicz, and she was given a bitch from Krakow that bore a remarkable resemblance to the pre-war dogs. It was very likely that she had originated from Ms. Zoltowska’s surviving dogs.
The Polish Lowland Sheepdogs were exhibited in Bydgoszcz in 1957. Even though there was no breed standard, the preferred type was medium-sized, lively, alert and shaggy-coated with no resemblance to the silky or woolly coat of the Poodle or Maltese. The breed standard was written by Ms. Dubrowinowa and accepted in 1959.
Dr. Hryniewicz then bred the famous dog Smok z Kordegardy (by Kurta and Laska) who became a true “father of the breed.” The Kordegardy stock was heavily inbred using Smok. Fortunately, this inbreeding resulted in the unification of the breed’s type with no hereditary defects. In 1969 another of her famous dogs was born. His name was Doman z Kordegardy.
It was not until 1970 that the breed gained wide popularity. Most breeders started with dogs bred by Dr. Hryniewicz. Presently, interest in the breed remains quite strong and stable. Fortunately, the breed has never been so popular as to be spoiled by fashion.
The well-known dog Doman z Kordegardy with famed breeder Dr. Hryniewicz.
Pol. Ch. Apasz z Bankowcow is a well-known sire whose influence can be seen on dogs in Poland and beyond.
THE PON IN THE US
The first Polish Lowland Sheepdogs to enter the US came to long-time Bearded Collie breeder Moira Morrison of New York. The pair, Bundz z Starego Lupkowa and Fajerka z Kordegardy, came from a Polish breeder in January 1979. In 1980, three more puppies followed from Poland to Mrs. Morrison, and other PONs were known to come from Belgium and Germany to other Americans. The author, a proud Polish-American, and her husband acquired their first PON from Mrs. Morrison in 1982, from one of her early liters. This dog was four-month-old Pan Vladek, who was shown by the author at many rare-breed events. Soon thereafter, Mrs. Augustowski imported a European prize-winner from Poland, Krymka z Kordegardy, who arrived in whelp and delivered five puppies to start the author’s Elzbieta kennels.
Among the first PONs imported into America were Elzbieta’s Pan Vladek (LEFT) and Krymka z Kordegardy.
P-O-N FOR SHORT
The acronym “PON” derives from the breed’s Polish name, Polski Owczarek Nizinny, a name which is admittedly difficult to pronounce. Phonetically, it’s pol’-skee ahv-cha’-rek ni-gi’-nee.
THE OTHER POLE
The Polish Lowland Sheepdog isn’t the only Pole in the herding dog family. The Polish Tatra Sheepdog, known as the Owczarek Podhalanski, derives from the Podhale region in southern Poland. This giant mountain dog, prized for its bravery and independence, more closely resembles the Great Pyrenees than the PON. In color, the breed is solid white and can weigh up to 150 lbs, standing as tall as 34 inches.
Ch. Czaber z Wielgowa, bred by Janusz Zerebacki and owned by Andrea Erickson.
Other imports and breedings put the PON on the map in the US. In its first decade of operation, Elzbieta kennels produced over 200 puppies, some of which won group and Best in Show awards at rare-breed and States Kennel Club shows. In 1987, the American Polish Owczarek Nizinny Club (APONC) was formed as the breed’s official parent club, recognized first by the Polish Kennel Club and the States Kennel Club and later by the leading American dog registry, the American Kennel Club (AKC). In 1995, the author, with the assistance of Marcy Ostrovsky Myerovich, edited The Official Book of the Polish Lowland Sheepdog, approved by the APONC, with an authoritative text by three PON experts, the late E. Jane Brown, Dr. Tomasz Borkowski and Dr. Margaret Supronowicz. It took about 20 years for the PON to be accepted into the AKC’s Miscellaneous Class, this occurring in 1999. The breed entered the Herding Group on August 1, 2001 and became eligible for championships.
Ch. DarBozy Oscar Harrison, bred by Susan Stekoll and owned by Ann and Richard Glazeski.
Ch. Czaber z Wielgowa taking a Group Four at the AKC/Eukanuba Invitational in 2003. He was the first PON to place in the Group at this prestigious event.
The author’s American-bred Ch. Elzbieta’s White Zinfandel became the first female AKC champion. She was owned by Merrilee Finch-Cirtwell. The first male PON to achieve his championship was Ch. Furman Konkury, bred by Maria Kozlowska-Koza and owned by Maciej Mieczyk. He was also the first male PON to place in a Group. The first female to place in a Group was Ch. Ponwood’s Fancy Girl, bred and owned by Barbara Bruns and Wolfgang Stamp the same bitch who would win the breed at the 2001 Eukanuba Invitational show. On April 27, 2002, she would become the first PON to win a Best in Show award.
In February 2002, the PON made its first appearance at the famous Westminster Dog Show in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Fourteen dogs were entered under judge Donald M. Booxbaum,
