Of the family of the Shepherds of the East, the Polish Tatra Sheepdog come from the mountains of Tatras, in the south of Poland, at the border
of ex-Czechoslovakia.

Like a great number of molosses present in Europe, the Polish Tatra Sheepdog would have ancestors among the Shepherds of Tibet who accompanied the hordes at the time of the great invasions.

He was established and evolved in the mount of Tatras, the highest part of
Carpates, an area with the difficult access. Because of this
geographical isolation, we suppose that its type is fixed for a long
time.

He protects the herds, defends them against the bears, the wolves and the
lynxes and keeps the property of the shepherds. He is also used as
draught-animal to transport, for example, the milk of the meadows to the
farm.

Recognized officially by the Polish authorities in the Thirties, "Polski
Owczarek Podhalanski" was presented for the first time at the exposure of
Zakopane in 1937.

However, it failed to disappear during the Second World war. Dog
courageous and capable of initiative, it was used to carry messages,
weapons and ammunition. Besides that with its great qualities of guard he
was an excellent guettor. The invaders and occupants then saw a
frightening enemy there. The exodus of the shepherds and the
politico-economic context which prevails then in the Soviet block werenot
favorable to the canine breeding!

Fortunately, during the Fifties, two Polish cynophiles, Pr Derezinski and
Dr. Bukowski undertook, by a patient work of location, inventory and
selection, to make reappear the race.

In 1967, the Polish Tatra Sheepdog was recognized by the Federation
Cynologique Internationale (F.C. I.)