It all started nine years ago with the dog Mili. Her creation “Miliruj” was named after her. Since then, Davorin and Damijana Lisikak have bred 35 Karst Shepherd dogs. The global population is estimated at 900 individuals.
ORF Mili dog
Deceased son’s wish fulfilled
The animals Damijana and Davorin Lisjak have won several international awards, of which, of course, they are very proud. But for her, her animals have a much deeper meaning, says the dog lover: “Even because we are fulfilling our late son’s unfulfilled wish. He wanted a Karst dog and we fulfilled his wish and continued on his path. Our male Primus is our pride, our heart and we live for him.”
ORF Damijana and Davorin Lisjak
Primus is the first therapy dog
Primus has also been a therapy dog for two years – the first of this breed, according to the breeding couple. Primus leaves an extraordinary mark, says Damijana Lisjak: “It helps children, the disabled and the elderly. It’s something indescribable. You have to experience the positive reactions he causes in people just by his presence.”
ORF dogs of the Kraški ovčar breed
From horse protector to goat protector
The Kraški ovčar was originally used as a herding dog. “The Karst Shepherd Dog is a very, very old breed. The first written records about him date back to 1558. At that time, the first manager of the Lipica stud farm wrote that he had purchased very strong and sharp dogs to protect the Lipizzaners,” says Davorin Lisjak.
Transport note:
“Hello, Srecno, Ciao”, 10/14/23
With the decline of small-scale livestock farming in the first half of the last century, its herd became the property of its owners’ families. It then happened that after the First World War there were very few of them left, says Davorin Lisjak: “Slovenian cynologists tried to expand a little our breed, the Krajški očar”, says Davorin Lisjak. Now the Karst sheepdog is slowly becoming a guardian of the flock again, says the breeder: “Here in the Karst we have a little dog around that protects the goats.”
The breeding couple is proud to be able to help ensure that the herds are once again protected by their dogs.” Because wolves and jackals are getting more and more dangerously close to the herds, even in the Karst region, says Davorin Lisjak.
ORF These dogs belong to the “cani salvataggio Trieste SICS” association
Lifeguard training for humans and dogs
Dogs are a valuable aid not only for protecting sheep and goats. In Barcola, four-legged friends are trained to save lives. They train all year round in Barcola, with the Topolini. The basic course takes place between October and May.
Dogs weighing more than 25 kilos and breeds that particularly like water – such as Labradors, Newfoundlands or Portuguese water dogs, which naturally have webbed feet between their paws – are particularly suitable.
Male dogs can pull multiple people ashore
Emanuele Esposito, from the “cani salvataggio Trieste SICS” rescue dog team, says that dogs go through different stages of learning, just like people: “Some understand more quickly, for others it’s just in the blood. There are dogs that, even as puppies, you can tell are rescue dogs. Others still need to refine their techniques and skills.”
Emanuele Esposito states that in case of emergency, special harnesses that increase the buoyancy capacity and thus give the dog the ease of dragging one, two or three people would also help: “An adult dog, a male dog, can also pull ten people to land without any problems. They support the lifeguards who try to calm the person in distress and bring them safely to shore along with the dog.”
Esposito: “Dogs are like engines”
This also applies to the owners, who must also be good swimmers and divers. Ultimately, they have to be a well-coordinated team with their animals: “The dog is like an engine. We complement each other because it is a relationship of trust, us with them, them with us and this leads to the completion of the canine unit.”
There are 350 specially trained and certified rescue dog units across Italy. In Trieste alone there are 20. “We all work voluntarily and have responsibility when we are on the beach. Maybe not all people have a lifeguard license, but either way, when we are here, we are responsible for certain times when there are no official lifeguards on site.”
ORF
Great love for animals in Friuli Venezia Giulia
According to the Trieste registry office, there are currently more than 23,000 dogs living in the port city – and the number is rising. Compared to the previous year, around a thousand more cats were registered. On average, one in ten people in Friuli-Venezia Giulia has a dog.
Udine has a population of around 97,808, with 11,018 dogs and 3,605 cats. Pordenone counts 5,223 and 1,914. The population there is about 51,867. 33,514 people live in Gorizia. There are 4,098 dogs and 1,295 cats registered there.