Medelyan dog: history of the breed

Hunting is one of the most common hobbies of the nobility. Especially attractive was dog hunting. Each aristocrat kept a kennel with dogs trained to hunt a different type of animal. Not shy away from such fun in Russia. There were special dogs trained to drive an elk, a round, a bison (the so-called goose dogs), there were Russian greyhounds and hounds. But, besides them, there was another primordially Russian breed of hunting dogs that could fill up a bear or a bull - a Medelyan dog.

The past of the Medellian dog is full of unsolved mysteries. No one really knows who is the ancestor of the breed of the largest hunting dogs. There are several versions of the origin of the breed.

According to the "New Encyclopedic Dictionary" of Brockhaus and Efron, the founders of the Medels are considered to be immigrants from Assyria and Egypt, exported by Roman soldiers first to Greece, and then to the Eurasian continent.

The veterinarian Ludwig Busse, famous in the 19th century, who describes medelyan in his book “Dog in its main and secondary breeds,” believed that the famous Russian dog belongs to the original British breed that was brought to the mainland in the 2nd century by Roman conquerors. Presumably, the confirmation of this version is the name of the breed "Medelyanskaya" coming from Mediolan (the ancient name of Milan).

But in Italy there are no recollections of this or a breed of dogs similar to Medelian dogs, as there are no representatives. But in those days, everyone recognized the Medelyan dog as a native Russian, a very valuable breed.

According to another version, the history of Medelyans began in pre-Mongol Russia. Dog-shaped dogs that came to the Russian princes from Italian lands uncontrollably crossed with aboriginal wolf-like dogs used in hunting for a large animal. As a result, several lines of dogs went, taking on different traits from their ancestors.

Since there was no control over the breeding of animals with free keeping, the rules of natural selection were in effect, when large dogs could cover only large females. The result is a breed of very large dogs, which later became the pride of Russian dog breeding.

The Medellan dog was kept by the kings and the highest nobility, it was given to foreign monarchs. The price of the dog trained for the beast was rather big. There is evidence of the purchase of Medellan dogs for imperial hunting in 1833 at a price of 100 rubles and 320 rubles per individual, which is comparable to the price of an expensive thoroughbred horse.

Until the middle of the 19th century, Medellins were used in the persecution of a large beast, being an etching dog, but with the prohibition of such hunting, the keeping of Medels became too expensive for many landowners, and the breed began to fade. The breed finally ceased to exist after the Great October Revolution, when in the process of establishing a new state system it was not up to the dogs. Subsequently, attempts were made to save the endangered breed, crossing medelyans with short-haired St. Bernards or mastiffs.

Such famous writers as A. Tolstoy, F. Dostoevsky or A. Kuprin also mention the Medellan dog in their works. Kuprin has a story written on behalf of a Medellian dog named Sapsan, the writer's personal dog. In this work, the author suggests that initially the name of the breed sounded like "weekly", since the hunts were carried out once a week, but gradually the pronunciation changed to "Medelyan".

The Medelyan dog, famous at the time, had an impressive appearance, muzzle resembling a bulldog.

• According to the description compiled by V. Priklonsky, the Medelyan had a huge head with a wide forehead and an elephant-shaped nape. Strong wrinkles are visible on the face and forehead. Short flattened muzzle with large brylami.
• The dog's eyes had bloody protein, and the iris, depending on the color, was light yellow in light dogs or dark in other colors. The lowered eyebrows gave the dog a formidable look.
• Low-set ears of medium size with the tips down are snug against the skull.
• The body was long, with a wide powerful back, a deep chest and a strong sacrum.
• The front and hind limbs of medium length are widely spaced.
• A low-set tail never rose high. In a calm state, the tail is lowered; upon excitation, the tail is slightly raised.
• The skeleton of the dog was distinguished by its strength and massiveness, because of which the appearance of the dog breathed indescribable power.
• The coat is short, dense, with a thick undercoat. Any color was allowed, but the preference was a “wolf” color. For any color allowed white tan.
• Tall (up to 90 cm at the withers) and long (up to 125 cm from nose to tail) adult individual weighed up to 120 kg. Moreover, the growth of the dog was achieved not due to the length of the legs, but due to the overall size.

The pickling dog, in spite of its frightening appearance, had a good character. The strength he possessed made it possible to fill up the bull with one blow and go face to face with the bear. True, only the largest representatives of the breed possessed such power, and medium-sized individuals attacked in a group of three pieces.

Medelyans were distinguished by a special devotion to the owners. A case has been recorded when a dog named Rover, who accompanied the military man, helped to catch the robbers who killed the owner. The dog lifted one of the attackers, and drove two to a tree, where they sat until the gendarmes arrived, whose attention Rover could draw when they passed. Moreover, the dog seemed to understand what was required of it, and behaved calmly, angry only at the robbers. Her behavior was accepted by the court as evidence and the guilty suffered a well-deserved punishment.

See what the next Medellian dog looks like in the next video.