They are known as the “lions of Anatolia” — dogs the size of small bears, which have inch-long fangs and can beat two wolves in a fight.
Kangal dogs have the purest pedigree in the canine world, according to their breeders.
They fear, however, that pure Kangals could soon be wiped out by unscrupulous criminals who sell “fake” dogs for fights — and profit.
In the Kangal’s native Turkey, in the ruggedness of the Anatolian steppe, “dog whisperer” Huseyin Yildiz is trying to save the purebred dogs from extinction, as well as to sate growing demand for them in the UK.
“The Kangal is different from any other animal,” he said gravely as he strode around the snow-scattered fields of his ranch, where he keeps