Some of the oldest breeds in the world come from Turkey, and many of them are shepherd dogs, or “coban kopegi,” the Turkish term for shepherd dog. All white dogs from western Turkey are called “Akbash” dogs,  the word, “Akbash” in Turkish meaning “white head” (as opposed to the karabash, or “black headed” dogs), but local Turks also refer to them as “Akkush,” a word that means “white bird.” Though the Akbash is a large dog, it is a sleek dog.  To effectively fight off wolves, he has to have size, but not be so massive that he can’t move with speed and agility. To that end, “white bird” is not entirely off the mark since this is a surprisingly fast, fleet-footed dog.

Akbash Dog image found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information