Alice White
This wayward oriental beauty hails from Morocco, she got her middle name in honor of the Atlas Mountains, where for a long time she faithfully served the steppe nomads. Aidi guarded the dwellings and devotedly guarded them themselves, and later this talented dog was also used for hunting and protecting livestock from predatory animals.
The Atlas Sheepdog hunts most often in a pair with a Sloughi: Aidi tracks the animal and raises it, and then the Sloughi catches it. The origin of this ancient breed is not fully understood, but most likely, the Aidi is a descendant of the Spanish and Portuguese mastiffs. However, some fans of this dog believe that no one deduced this miracle of nature, and the dog, like the Australian dingo, spontaneously was born. Nature has created Aidi’s appearance ideal for hunting: she has a well-developed muscular body, a large head with a wide forehead, a neck with a “collar” made of fur gathered in large folds, short-cropped ears, and a strong jaw with strong teeth. Wool is a thick and coarse coat that protects it from both the scorching African sun and cold mountain winds, and also helps to avoid severe injuries in fights with predatory rivals. The height at the withers of the Atlas Shepherd Dog is from 53 to 63.5 cm, the average weight is about 25 kg. Aidi’s color is traditionally white, but red, reddish-brown, black, and black with white spots are also acceptable. The Atlas Sheepdog is unlikely to adapt to life in an urban environment, as a habitat it is much better suited to the countryside. But remember that Aidi has a wayward and tough character and needs a strict, sensitive, and patient upbringing. There is something savage in this oriental beauty, it is impossible to tame her to the end: she is uncommunicative and would rather be alone than having fun in the noisy company of people or other animals. By the way, if you have other pets in your house, teach Aidi to them from the very puppy’s age – otherwise, she will simply not recognize them later. In physical activity for Aidi, observe the measure: if you force her to run too much and imitate hunting, she can feel the excitement of hunting and start playing.
The Atlas Shepherd has excellent working qualities: excellent sense of smell, lightning-fast reaction, and a clear mechanism of action in dangerous situations. All this makes it a “multifunctional” dog: its vocation is not limited to hunting and guarding: it can also serve as a police or military dog. Now even in the Moroccan expanses of purebred Aidis can be found not so often, and their number in the world is not large at all, besides, the number of these dogs decreases every year, therefore the Moroccan Society of Dog Lovers and the French Kennel Club are doing everything possible to ensure that this the unique breed has not disappeared from the face of the earth.
