Although the Aidi was listed as the Atlas Sheepdog in its 1963 standard, it never worked as a sheepdog, but as a Livestock Protection Dog in the mountains of Morocco. The error, made possibly because of the breed’s thick coat, was corrected in 1969, and as a result, more people came to learn that what Moroccans did do with the Aidi was to use it as a Jack of all trades. It protected their herds of sheep and goats, and served as a protective guard dog for the family. Perhaps more interestingly, an Aidi was paired with a Sloughi for hunts. The Aidi is not very fast, but it is endowed with exceptional scenting ability, and what he or she found, the Sloughi chased down with alacrity.

The ancient Phoenicians, described by some as the world’s first commercial dog breeders, created new breeds to fit niche markets, and the Aidi was one of their creations: A dog bred to be strong, loyal, and fierce in the face of jackals and other predators in the Atlas Mountains in northern Africa.

Historically, but not understandable to us, is the Aidi wasn’t regarded particularly highly by local tribes, and certainly not considered to be as noble as the Sloughi which was valued, and thus treated quite well. Sadly, Aidi dogs were usually left to fend for themselves, scavenging where they could during a hardscrabble life.

When we first wrote this piece in 2016, we found multiple sources writing that locals were starting to view the breed differently and Moroccans had formed a club to protect the purity of the Aidi. As we are updating this post in 2021, however, we have found no evidence of such a club. The breed standard did help the breed’s prospects in that the Aidi became more recognized in the North-African region, and by the United Kennel Club in 2006 as part of their Guardian Dog group. The breed also got recognition from the FCI. This is a very old breed which has contributed so much as a protector, hunter, police dog, and pet, and we’re rooting for its day in the sun.

Aidi image shared from Wikicommons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license