Polish Tatra Sheepdog

Zack is our Polish Tatra Sheepdog. When you first meet Zack, two thoughts will run through your mind; what a beautiful dog this is and what a formidable dog this is. And he can be both. Zack is beautiful, but he's much more than just good looking. We acquired Zack to be a watch dog on our ranch, as we have rescued some rare but endangered animals that are very valuable.

His size usually scares off most would-be intruders, but it's not people that he's trained to scare off--it's coyotes and other wildlife that may threaten our safe haven here. Some of these animals can be worth more than money, so we need to have Zack patrolling the place. In fact, in addition to Zack, we have three other Tatras working our ranch. They all do an excellent job, but Zack takes the lead in carrying out the necessary tasks. In all the years we've been running Safe Haven Ranch, we've never lost an animal to a predator and we believe that the coyotes and other predators (bobcats, cougars and mountain lions) are well aware of the fight they would be in for should they attempt to get inside the fenced area.

The one habit we can't break the dogs of is digging! They have a drive and ingrained instinct to dig. You'll know their love for digging if you visit the ranch: there are lots of 'crater-size' holes scattered about. Some are now water and mud holes; others we use to throw feed in, such as hay. But to have the security the Tatras bring, one bad habit is a small price to pay.