Man tours streets with rare ‘wolf-looking dogs’

SİVAS

Residents of the Central Anatolian province of Sivas get shocked when they see 50-year-old Murat Beysun wandering around the streets with rare “Czechoslovakian wolfdogs” that they often confuse with “real wolves.”

“These dogs look just like wolves. I have four of them,” Beysun, an outdoor sports aficionado, told the Demirören News Agency on Jan. 5.

The “Czechoslovakian wolfdogs” differ from other dog species as they have 70 percent of wolves’ and 30 percent of dogs’ genes.

When asked about the history of this species, Beysun said, “In the 1950s, Czech soldiers were fed up with wolves eating their dogs.”

So, to prevent the dog killings, “Czechs started producing these dogs in 1955 after coupling German Shephard dogs with wolves.”

“They are protective like other dogs. They do not attack anybody unless they feel danger,” Beysun said.

One of Beysun’s “Czechoslovakian wolfdogs,” named “Şayen,” stars in a TV series about the Seljuk dynasty, which is broadcast by the state-run broadcaster TRT.