Tobet All the greatest myths of the Earth keep evidences of legendary alive essences from ancient times that accompanied Human in history and symbolized his World. We, at the gene level, remembering a "lost paradise", sometimes, extremely grieve on our mysterious totem helpmates: dragons, snakes and leopards, turtles holding on their armor the universe, and wolves, that saved empires we search for them in frescos, we try to find them in scrolls, we equip expeditions to Loch Ness lake and we try to catch their silhouettes in contours of pyramids or in the sky But in ĠĠ1century at the usual exhibition of dogs in Kazakhstan a French scientist - ethnographer, the researcher of Marco Polo works, suddenly becomes transfixed before an old man - Kazakh holding on simple lead a huge gloomy dog, gets accustomed to the dog and unexpectedly falls before the animal - on knees. And then in eyes of hundreds surprised gapers says words, pertinent only at a meeting with an alive firedrake. Is it a real Tobet? - The voice of the Frenchman shivers, - That one? A great Dog that saved the horse-nomadic civilization?! Faces of people lighten up powerful impulse of wind from labyrinths of the past. With especial interest young people look at the giant dog. The old man - Kazakh does not go deep into excited monologue of the Frenchman. He is calm and quiet. So is his dog. The old man knows what for a dog he has brought to the exhibition. He has come to show, how his real Kazakh Tobet differs from all those hybrids and vain selection experiments that filled the market of so-called "proto species". Perhaps, the old man even does not know, that he owns an animal, which status does not distinguish from the well-known centaurs, but he is sure - this Tobet is not simply a dog - wolfhound. No. It is a unique creature of the nature, which is nearly extinct Family tree of Tobet lasts since 1121 B.C. Remains of ancestors of this unique Kazakh breed "Tobet" are found in territory from East Europe up to Far East on line with preglacial climatic zone. The image of the nomad is traditionally connected with a horse. But Marco Polo, describing in Ġ111 century life of Kazakhs, could not ignore unimaginable in sizes and force dogs. " They are huge - as a donkey. They were used in protection, hunting on wild animals and as draft force ". In Chagatai tribe the traveler saw wolfhounds at a court yard of a khan. Khan's two brothers managed their cultivation. There were about 10 thousands dogs there. Such serious cultivation of wolfhounds was not caused by khan's ambitions, but by requirements which were put forward by nomadic way of life. Today there are only tens of Tobets left in Kazakhstan. And, if to base on the information, that rock figures in territory of Almaty area testify on presence of this breed of dogs in territory of modern Kazakhstan already more than 4 thousand years it is possible to assert the following: modern Tobet - is a real descendant of the breed - witness of all history and life of Kazakhs. Explaining a mysterious phrase of the Frenchman about " the dog that saved the horse-nomadic civilization ", it is possible to assert the following: Tobet is the most powerful legendary character in history of nomadic world, became endangered during the epoch of settled way of life. That is a hero, that stayed true to its time. Why Tobet is not present neither on one classical image of the nomad, nor in paintings picturing the way of life of Kazakhs? Because Tobet is especial and as a matter of fact, one of the secrets of steppe nomads. As it is known, nobody duplicates and advertise secrets. Tobet is not a companion eternally sitting at feet. This dog is not a subject of image. It is not surrounding of ethnic image. Tobet - similar to metaphysical force was created for protection of nomads' civilization. Therefore this dog it is not visible near a man But if you move frameworks of perception, you will find noble Tobet at tops of hills, mountains at which bottom has settled down a nomadic camp. Large dogs - leaders settled down on heights for the best review of protected territory. "Tobe" - a hill, top, "it" - a dog, "tobe it - tobet" - a dog lying at hills, mountains and Supreme protection. The main riches of the nomad were the cattle. The main enemies of cattle were wolves in steppe. Neither military skill, nor migration could rescue cattle from wolves. The unique panacea from misfortune was and remains Tobet. For giant wolfhounds steppe predators are not terrible. In antiquity Kazakhs - shepherds fed puppies Tobets from wooden bowls (it-ayak), dressed with a skin of a wolf in order to wolfhounds since the childhood got used to perceive smell of wolves. Today Kazakhstan cattlemen incur mullions losses from an attack of wolves. Local authorities pay during the season of shooting from 10 up to 40 dollars for one killed predator. Experts consider that good dogs - Tobets give much more effect. Nomadic camps were accompanied by giant dogs Tobets. When the camp settled, wolfhounds - giants held their posts at tops of hills. When the nomadic civilization disappeared - unique Tobet became endangered. This is such surprising connection between legendary dogs and a human way of life. But the glory of invincible dogs - giants does not give peace to vain mankind. It is sad that, some owners strongly spoiled them by another's blood, sometimes a mongrel "Tobet" or simply large mongrels, caught somewhere in steppe, accusing each other in dilettantism, advertise their essences, make multiple copies and sell. Thus, the breed disappears. And then there come buyers, for example farmers, and complain that all the pack, when feel a wolf, runs to the house. You absolutely promised another. All is true. True thoroughbred Kazakh Tobet cannot be frightened of a wolf - accordingly the definition. There are witnesses of fight of a two-year-old Tobet simultaneously with four wolves. Therefore the legend about terrible Tobet also was born in Kazakh steppes, becoming cult among owners of wolfhounds. At the end of the last century when all and everything were systematized, qualifiers and standards were created. Tobet was brought in qualifiers as "Central Asian sheep-dog". This breed and a Turkmen alabai - are in fact assimilated Kazakh Tobets. For the real Kazakh Tobet now in the West are ready to pay tens thousand euros. But "real" Tobets are rare in the nature. For protection of an average flock of sheep one Kazakh Tobet is enough. Wolves will not dare to attack hearing its voice. Wolves attack only when they are sure, that there is no force which can stop them. The whole pack of wolves, certainly, can win one Tobet. But - not without serious losses. Sometimes inhabitants of far shepherd pastures, who had the luck to become owners of real Tobets, do not know at all, what precious individuals protect their flocks. One of experts on these unique dogs has told how once they were sent to business trip to Baiganinsky district of the Aktubinsk oblast. They reached this place by helicopter. Village boys surrounded the helicopter, and he noticed a boy, holding a giant dog on a rope instead of a lead. The expert understood at once that was Tobet! The child sat down on a dog, pulled it, beat it sideways, forcing to go, but the dog stood quietly - in spite of the fact that his small owner was obviously violent. It was the philanthropy and calmness incorporated in genes of a dog by our ancestors a millennium ago. The expert in every way tried to persuade the boy to sell a dog for all that money that he had in a pocket. That boy did not agree. When this man was leaving, tears slid at his on cheeks. He has just seen the dream of life Today true Kazakh Tobet - the big rarity, breed is endangered specie. Today still it is possible to make something for revival of the most ancient and most unique breed. The given edition was prepared on basis of materials of nursery " Tobet - a Kazakh dog " the address on the Internet www.tobet.kz, is our feasible participation in movement of support and preservation of the legendary Kazakh Tobet, as national natural property of republic and one of the most unique symbols of unique ethno-cultural heritage of Kazakhstan. Revival of breed and entering of these rare dogs first all in Kazakhstan, and then the international qualifiers under primordial Kazakh name "Tobet" is extremely important in view of finding by republic Kazakhstan of independence. In fact disappearance of any breed of animals in a separate country is an irreplaceable impoverishment of a genofund of the whole planet. If in space they discovered the constellation the Nomad next to universal nomad on a path from a star dust necessarily would be the giant dog Tobet - silent and menacing protector of mankind

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