Country/Date of Origin: Israel/2000 BC
The Canaan dog has lived in the region of the Middle East that is now Israel for thousands of years. Its ancestors were pariah dogs that were domesticated to guard sheep and goats. No attempt was made to refine and purify the bloodlines until 1935 when Dr Menzel and her husband began the Shaar Hagai Kennels in Jerusalem. Most of the animals registered as Canaan Dogs can trace pedigrees back to her kennel. Still scarce in the United States, the Canaan Dogs are exhibited in the miscellaneous classes at American Kennel Club shows.