LES MONTAGNES SERBES

OD SRPSKIH PLANINA

Extract from magazine Politikin Zabavnik from 31.03.1989
Text: Ivan Loncar

When Dr Bojovic from the town of Djakovica visited his ex patient, whose life he had saved on the remote part of Sara Mountain, the host, respecting old tradition, asked the guest:
- How to pay you back? I‘ll give you anything you wish…
- Knowing that he was not rich, the doctor did not want to insult him neither to do damage to him, he decided to choose a very modest gift.
- Well, give me this puppy – he said by pointing the 7 puppies in the yard.
- Please doctor – said the native from Sara – freely take everything you want but not the puppy!



Of course it concerned a young Sarplaninac: this extraordinary dog even today in the mountain, from which he got it’s name, is valuable as much as four sheep and in certain places it is paid in pure gold!
The death for the undecided
The young Sarplaninac puppies, in their native environment, are subject of most rigorous selection, exclusively based on the laws of nature, which means that only the puppy which sustains fight with the severe nature will survive. To survive, the young Sarplaninci must pass a severe and rigorous test. When shepherds catch a wolf in the trap they tighten and hang the wolf on a long wooden pole which they are carrying through the village from one door to the other.
Helpless the wolf is pulling and screaming and by doing that it is teasing the dogs for which, as a matter of fact, is a kind of test. Sarplaninac dogs are angrily jumping on the beast and by that are showing their braveness and fearlessness. The one that appears undecided, cool or not enough brave are immediately killed by the owner in front of all the villagers.




Only the one that did not hesitate to attack it’s “blood enemy” stays alive. They will when reaching their maturity become irreplaceable guardians and faithful followers and defenders of their master.