champion, a hard act to follow.
The first British champions were (LEFT to RIGHT) Ch. Mybeards Sophie and Ch. Mybeards Pioneer, shown here winning at the Polish Lowland Sheepdog Club Championship Show in 1997. The judge was Ruth Scott.
Three more imports arrived in 1997. The first chocolate import was jointly owned by Mrs. Ainsley and Mrs. Rushby, the second was jointly owned by Ms. T. Cousins and Mrs. K. Owen and the third went to Mybeards. Later in the same year, a litter of four chocolate puppies belonging to Mrs. Mottram was born in quarantine; their mother later returned home.
The formation of an alternative breed club, The Southern Polish Lowland Sheepdog Club, occurred in 1999. As with all new clubs, it needed to consolidate itself before it could approach The Kennel Club for ratification. By 2000, almost 700 dogs had been cataloged.
The Polish Lowland Sheepdog is lively but self-controlled, clever and perceptive and endowed with an excellent memory. His herding and working abilities are attributed to his intense desire to please. Even when not used as a herding or working dog, the PON is a magnificent companion that can adapt to any lifestyle. He is extremely loyal to his owners but usually aloof and suspicious of strangers.
Since the PON is capable of herding a small flock of sheep without a shepherd, he can make his own decisions. It is recommended that new owners understand this, and they must establish who is the master early in the relationship. The PON is not for everyone, but if you are looking for a highly intelligent animal that can keep your life interesting, continue reading.
Can dogs smile? No doubt the PON can! Has any dog ever been more happy to flash a winning grin than the Polish Lowland Sheepdog?
Simply reading about the characteristics of the PON cannot give you a real sense of exactly what it’s like to live with this wonderful canine. Now that I, the author, have lived with the breed for some 20 years and have witnessed examples of their intelligence, I am going to tell you some true stories. I almost forgot to mention that when you try to correct PONs verbally, they look up at you and smile like chimpanzees. When that happens, I rarely remember the reason why I am correcting them! I never get tired of that winning PON smile.
HEART-HEALTHY
In this modern age of ever-improving cardio-care, no doctor or scientist can dispute the advantages of owning a dog to lower a person’s risk of heart disease. Studies have proven that petting a dog, walking a dog and grooming a dog all show positive results toward lowering your blood pressure. The simple routine of exercising your dog—going outside with the dog and walking, jogging or playing catch—is heart-healthy in and of itself. If you are normally less active than your physician thinks you should be, adopting a dog may be a smart option to improve your own quality of life as well as that of another creature.
The author with the first World Champion bred in America, Elzbieta’s White Zinfandel.
INSTINCTIVE INTELLIGENCE
In 1983 we whelped a litter of five beautiful PON puppies. When they were nine weeks old, Dr. Hryniewicz shipped us two four-month-old pups. One was apricot in color and the other was jet black. All seven of the puppies played, ate and slept together. One day, the temperature soared to 102° F (38-9° C) with 97% humidity. We tried to keep the pups in our air-conditioned home, but they wanted to go outdoors so badly that they just would not cease their crying and barking. We put a large roasting pan of ice cold water under a shaded grape arbor. All of the pups were then carried out to play in the shady area. About 15 minutes later, I heard a sound coming from the puppies like nothing I had ever heard before. I looked out the kitchen window and saw that they were still under the grape arbor, but the nine-week-old pups were in a circle surrounding something. They held their little heads up as wolves would do, but their howl was blood-curdling. I immediately ran out and was shocked to see the new black PON in the middle of this circle. His tongue was hanging out and his eyes were rolled back in his head. We picked him up and put him in cold water, then rushed to the vet. He had had severe heatstroke. The vet told us that if we had been a few minutes later in immersing him in ice water, he would have died. I realized that my nine-week-old puppies had saved the life of Awans, our new black PON. Some may say that it was just natural instinct on their part, but I found it to be the most intelligent thing I had ever witnessed from a canine.
Strizzi’s Stella with Nicolette. PONs make absolutely the most charming of family pets and can tolerate and enjoy rather zealous hugs from their favorite children.
Another example of this breed’s instinctive intelligence and protective nature occurred one morning when our two PONs, Belle and Mutsey, were helping my husband feed the ducks and geese. They were convinced that he could never manage on his own, and at exactly 8 AM would torment him until he got up and went outdoors. Belle would run ahead to show him where the feed was kept, then she would run to the large chain-link fence that separated the pond from the rest of the property. She would bark until all the ducks and geese assembled for their breakfast. Mutsey was quiet and stood by like a supervisor of this very important daily ritual. One angry goose slipped his head through the large open link and grabbed Belle by the nose, refusing to let go. Belle literally screamed, as the bite of a goose is quite painful. Mutsey, the supervisor, walked over and grabbed the goose by the neck. The goose let go of Belle, Mutsey let go of the goose and all was back to normal.
MARVELOUS MEMORY
A farmer living in the Polish countryside had a cow, ducks, geese, a small flock of sheep and, of course, a garden. He was living alone, and with all of this work, he had no time to be a shepherd. He had heard that the PON had a wonderful memory and was a self-herder, so he acquired one. He took the dog and sheep to the pasture, and it only took a few days before the dog would awaken early in the morning and, by himself, take the sheep to the pasture. The farmer was quite happy and was even more surprised when he saw the dog bring the sheep back at the exact time. If the weather turned really bad, the PON would bring them in earlier. The dog even knew when one was missing and would go back to retrieve it. Now this was one happy farmer; however, he had one problem with his dog’s marvelous memory—he could never change pastures!
DELTA SOCIETY
The human-animal bond propels the work of the Delta Society, striving to improve the lives of people and animals. The Pet Partners Program proves that the lives of people and dogs are inextricably linked. The Pet Partners Program, a national registry, trains and screens volunteers for pet therapy in hospices, nursing homes, schools and rehabilitation centers. Dog-and-handler teams of Pet Partners volunteer in all 50 states, with nearly 7,000 teams making visits annually. About 900,000 patients, residents and students receive assistance each year. If you and your dog are interested in becoming Pet Partners, contact the Delta Society online at www.deltasociety.org.
INCREDIBLE STORIES
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