The Polish Tatra Sheepdog, also known as the Owczarek Podhalanski, is a rare livestock guardian dog (LGD) that originated in Podhale, in the Tatra Mountain region of Poland. It is known for its exceptional loyalty, intelligence and independence. The Tatra was originally bred over thousands of years to help mountain farmers herd and care for large flocks of sheep. Their snow-white coat paired with their jet black eyelids, nose and mouth made them perfect to distinguish them between a bear or a wolf. The breed almost died off during World War II due to starvation, but in the 1960’s the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, (FCI),  began to breed the dogs together to save the breed. Now there are about 7,500 dogs (at the time of this writing) worldwide.