Commissioned stamp for the "Wish You Were Here!" calendar project.
http://www.coyote-tangent.com/wywh/

I was assigned the Akbash dog, a little-known sheep and livestock-guarding dog from Turkey. As I researched the breed, I came to realize that I've known an akbash dog before- my grandparents used to have a sheep farm in Kentucky, and they had an akbash dog to guard the sheep from coyotes. Akbash means "white head" in turkish. The breed was bred white so that shepherds could tell the difference between their dog and a wolf in the dark. Prize dogs were also given iron spiked collars, which protected the dog's throat from a fatal wolf bite in that area. The Akbash is not a herding dog, rather their ability to bond with livestock animals, and be calm and steady in their presence, makes them the perfect guard dog- trusted by the livestock and fiercly protective against both human and nonhuman threats.