Surprise!!!

Czari was not what you would call a "planned" addition to the family...we had no previous intention of getting another dog, let alone a large dog, of this breed, at the time.

However, once in a while life takes an unexpected turn. We came into contact, quite by accident, with a breeder of Carpathian dogs from Romania. We were intrigued. For starters there were the stories...dogs that fight with bears and wolves on a daily basis, yet still remain sweet and loyal to humans. Truthfully, we assumed it was mostly tales and peoples' imaginations. The dogs looked quite common at first glance.

Then there was the possibility that this particular puppy may not find a good home. While most Carpathians have a greyish coat, some have black and white. Although accepted in the breed standard, the color is not the most popular choice among buyers. By the time we found this out, some members of the family had already gotten attached to this puppy...the rest were shown pics...

Sooo...we simply couldn't let him go! Especially while knowing he may not make it due to something as banal as coat color...(He has grown into a perfect specimen. Our faith was definitely rewarded!). We had already raised Zuzi succesfully...what's one more anyway?

First difference between Czari and Zuzi that we noticed... the Carpathian Shepherd mother took the whole litter off into the forest for 3 days and didn't come back...turns out, she was teaching them to hunt.

Second difference: Czari, did NOT soil his cage on the flight from Romania to Canada...that would be 9 uninterrupted hours of flight time!

And that was just the beginning... :)

 Introducing Czari & Zuzi

To begin with, this is the puppy in question :). He's name is Czari. And these pics were taken the first week he got here in Canada, at about 3.5 months old.

The breed is called Carpathian Shepard Dog, and for those unfamiliar with it, click here http://www.carpathiandog.info/.

In short, they are very primal animals: very strong instincts, amazing intelligence and stubbornness (yes, both...emphasis on BOTH), and extremely loyal and loving to the family. Definitely not for the inexperienced owner or the faint of heart. Also, wouldn't recommend as a traditional pet. The breed is a working dog and is still used as such today. They need at least 3 hours of exercise each day in nature (note: they hunt too, by themselves, no training necessary). I do daily hikes at least 4 times a week for 2-3 hours in the Rocky Mountains to keep the dog happy, healthy and balanced. And an additional 1/2 hour to 1 hr walk in the evening...depending on how challenging the morning hike was...

Czari is our second dog. The first one we got was a girl named Zuzi; a Keeshond female of unparalleled beauty and craziness!! LOL! Yes, for those familiar with the popular history of the name Zuzi, we were aware of it! That's why we chose it ;).

 Although this story will mainly focus on the time after Czari entered our lives, Zuzi will be here every step of the way, barking at all real and imaginary dangers, lol! Our little girl is every inch the watch dog.

The pics below are recent. Czari is 1.5 years old now and still maturing, Zuzi is 6.5 years old. But we're not quite there yet...

I will tell the story from the beginning, so whoever stumbles on this blog will fall in love with these guys as we did, day by day...unconditionally...and unavoidably :)