KDCA Position on Dog Fighting
The Kangal Dog Club of America stands with the United Kennel Club in a firm opposition to the cruel, illegal, and destructive practice of dog fighting. We believe that the breeding and use of dogs for fighting is detrimental to the breed's characteristics and will endanger the breed's physical attributes, temperament and reputation, both locally and internationally. In particular, livestock guardian breeds are valued for their protective instinct towards their charges and a graduated response to perceived threats. In our continued efforts to protect the essential qualities of the Kangal Dog, the KDCA takes a strong stand against any breeders who produce dogs for use in fighting, and our own Single Registry committee will reject any dogs that come from a kennel known to breed fighting dogs. Breeders producing dogs for this purpose are likely to cross breeds to produce extreme physical characteristics and aggressiveness, and thus any dogs from these lines should not be allowed to enter the Kangal Dog gene pool as they threaten the integrity of the breed. Even if other breeds are not used, breeding dogs will be selected for characteristics that are inconsistent with the essential qualities of the livestock guardian dog, namely its effectiveness and safety as a protector with balanced temperament and physical conformation. Club members who wish to import breeding stock from other countries, including Turkey, must be careful to ensure that they are not buying dogs from any breeders involved in this inhumane activity.