Livestock guardian dog webinar Nov. 16 to focus on Karakachan breed

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service  will present the webinar, “The Karakachan Breed,” which are dogs used in livestock protection, on Nov. 16.

The webinar will take place at 3 p.m. on the Zoom meeting platform. There is no cost to attend but participants must preregister at https://tx.ag/Nov16LGDwebinar (closed).

The Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Service Center in San Angelo has a research program dedicated to livestock guardian dogs and utilizes them at the center’s ranches and in partnership with private ranch owners.

Karakachan expert speaker

Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, Ph.D., is the featured speaker. He is a professor of pathology and genetics at the Virgnia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia. Sponenberg attended Texas A&M for his undergraduate work and his veterinarian degree.

“He has played a direct role in establishing the Karakachan livestock guardian dog in the U.S. through the initial importation of dogs and then serving as breed registrar until recently,” said Bill Costanzo, AgriLife Extension livestock guardian dog specialist, San Angelo.

Sponenberg’s genetic work includes single-gene diseases in domesticated animals and color in domesticated animals. His active research includes the conservation and history of domesticated animal genetic resources.

Sponenberg has also served as technical adviser for the Livestock Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization working to conserve genetic resources of livestock species in North America. This work involves the identification of livestock genetic resources, as well as their phenotypic and historic characterization and the development of conservation strategies for rare.

Karakachan webinar topics

Sponenberg will discuss the following during the webinar:

• History of the Karakachan breed.
• The use of the breed in the U.S.
• Overview of the breed.
• The breed as livestock guardian dogs.