Bukovina Sheepdog Dog Names

Ada the Bukovina Sheepdog’s puppy photo taken at only two months of age has become the poster child of sorts for the breed. Who can resist looking at cute puppy pictures, especially fluffy, sad-eyed puppies? Ada lives in a remote village near Buzau, Romania. Many people can see Ada’s photo on websites that are promoting the Bukovina Sheepdog breed. Alongside Ada’s cute puppy photo, you will usually see Aluna’s adult photo so you can see an adult Bukovina Sheepdog. Aluna lives in Bucharest, Romania with her owner Lucian Bolcas. Because the breed is rare, it is difficult to find breeders unless you search within their native Romania. It is also difficult to find any being shown in conformation or performance events since only the Romanian Kennel Club has fully accepted the Bukovina Sheepdog as a legitimate breed. The American Kennel Club (AKC) has not recognized the Bukovina Sheepdog. There are no known breeders of Bukovina Sheepdog within the United States. The American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) also does not have any Bukovina Sheepdogs listed in their registry. 

The Bukovina Sheepdog hails from the Carpathian Mountains in the northeastern region of Romania. Many researchers feel the Bukovina Sheepdog has descended from various breeds that were bred together during the 18^th century and used primarily as livestock guardian dogs to guard sheep and cattle. The Bukovina Sheepdog has undergone several name changes and is still known by many of those names. In 1982 the breed standard was written and the breed was given the name Bukovina Sheepdog. The breed standard was updated in 2001 by the Asociaia Chinologica Romana or the Romanian Kennel Club. The current breed standard was accepted on March 29, 2002. In 1987 the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) General Assembly located in Jerusalem established a similar breed standard model. There are only three Romanian shepherd breeds and all are native to the Carpathian region: the Bukovina Sheepdog, Mioritic Shepherd, and Carpatin Shepherd. The Bukovina Sheepdog is rarely seen outside of its native Romania, with the greatest population of Bukovina Sheepdogs being within the Carpathian Mountains.