Polish Lowland Sheepdog
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The breed's info is divided in four sections; namely:
the breed's history ,
the breed's main stats ,
the dog's potential health issues
and finally, how the breed scored in 26 different categories.
All the above information should give you a respectively good overview for the dog of your interest.
Dog Breed's Main Info
The Breed's History:
The Polish Lowland Sheepdog is an old breed. He is believed to be descended from the Puli, a Hungarian herding dog, as well as central Asian dogs including the Tibetan Mastiff, Tibetan Spaniel, Lhasa Apso, and Tibetan Terrier. One intriguing - and not impossible - theory is that the Huns were responsible for spreading the breed to many different countries as they plundered their way through various cultures.
In 1514, a Polish merchant named Kazimierz Grabski sailed from Gdansk to Scotland with a cargo of grain to exchange for Scottish sheep. Six PONs were onboard to herd the sheep and, as the story goes, a Scottish shepherd asked for a pair of PONs in exchange for a ram. The shepherd got a deal: two female PONs and one male. It's commonly believed that these three dogs were used to crossbreed with Scottish dogs to develop the Bearded Collie.
The ongoing story of the PON is a history of survival. In the 1800s, when sheep herding declined in Poland, the number of PONs also declined. World War II, which brought terrible devastation to Poland, almost decimated the breed. Luckily, a Polish veterinarian named Dr. Danuta Hryniewics took action. She began efforts to save the breed with the help of her own PON, a male named Smok. Smok sired 10 litters of PONs in the 1950s; in 1958, the first litter with a full pedigree was born.
By 1969, her Kordegardy Kennels had produced more than 140 puppies, including many champions. All PONs in existence today can be traced back to Smok and his progeny.
In 1959, a breed standard was written for the PON and accepted by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. Not surprisingly, Smok was the model for this standard.
In 1979, a U.S. Bearded Collie breeder named Moira Morrison learned of the PON ancestry in her breed. Intrigued, she imported two PONs from Poland - the first known to have come to the U.S. Four years later, Kaz and Betty Augustowski, both of Polish heritage, saw an advertisement in a dog magazine and acquired their first PON. Over the next 18 years, they became passionately involved in getting the breed recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Their efforts were rewarded when PONs gained entry into the Miscellaneous class on July 1, 1999, The AKC granted the breed full recognition on August 1, 2001.
Although the PON is still rare in America, today it is the most popular of all the native breeds in its home country and is unofficially considered Poland's national dog.
Country of Origin:
Poland
Breed Group:
Herding
Height:
1 foot, 5 inch. to 1 foot, 8 inch. (43,18 to 50,8 cm)
Weight:
35 to 55 pounds (15,87 to 24,95 Kg)
Life Span:
10 to 12 years
Potential Health Issues:
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA),
Canine Hip Dysplasia
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