Some time in 1993 I had come across the Anatolian in my search for a large breed dog. Back then I didn't have internet and was very lucky to locate a breeder in Florida close to where I lived who was happy to let me meet their dogs and give me some more information about the breed. It also happened that they had a young female available who had just been returned to them by the owner.
I took her home, but she proved too much to handle for me and my young lab mix Dingo. So after a few short days I returned her to the breeder. I thought Anatolians must not be the right breed for me.
I continued to research breeds but just couldn't get the Anatolians out of my head, so I again contacted the breeders whom I had met a year earlier -- Bob and Betty Hayward of Huzur Anatolians. We did a lot of talking, and again I was lucky. They had a litter that was just 3 weeks old, and not all had been spoken for yet. I wanted a female and I wanted to have the option of breeding her.
The Dog that started it all: Simba
I had the name picked before I ever met her. Simba, it had to be Simba.
When I arrived at the breeder's home, I was led to the kennel with the puppies. Their mom wasn't with them at the time, but just as I knelt down to take a closer look, she came back to see who was looking at her puppies. My heart sank as Lana's big head came close to my face - and gave me a sloppy kiss. What a nice momma dog to let me look at her puppies!
Looking at the eight three-week-old puppies, I asked which ones the four females were. It didn't take me long to pick Simba. I came to visit several times before it was time to bring her home. The ride home with her when she was 10 weeks old will be forever in my memory.
Simba's Story
