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!
| When Miss Czartoryska and Dr Flemming returned to the UK, Mektup was registered with
the UK Kennel Club as an ‘Anatolian Karabas Dog’. (Karabas meaning black mask
and ears, of which Mektups was perhaps one of the blackest I've seen!). |
Deeply pigmented
|
Mekkie and baby Yali
|
In 1975, Dr.Flemming and Miss. Czartoryska acquired a male Anatolian from
Dr.Whittof-Keus, this dog was registered Anadol Yali, and in May that year, Mektup and
Yali produced their first litter of 5 all fawn puppies (Aslan Temmuz, Bayan, Bir, Karina,
and Saranda Pat.). |
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 15th
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
BACK
Copyright, All Rights Reserved Webmaster@anatolianworld.com |
