Our pride and joy, the Akbash Sentinel

The Akbash Sentinel is Akbash Dogs International's newsjournal.  Volume One was published in 1986, and volume 78 was mailed in late July 2008.  In the Sentinel are regular columns from the ADI president, the Sentinel editor, a livestock protection dog behaviorist, and an archivist who recalls what was going on in ADI ten years prior.  There are articles on health, behavior, policy and the politics of an active dog club. 

Our Here's What's New section is for and about the people of ADI.  New members are introduced, photos are shared, and meetings are announced.  'Gathering of the Akbash Clan' is our way of saying Annual General Meeting, although our meetings are not used for formal voting or ratifiying of motions. Our membership is spread all over the world, so we vote by mail or e-mail ballot, not at a meeting.  Gatherings may feature educational workshops or activities, and we inevitably talk about club proceedings, but they are mainly fun times, designed to get to know each other better.

Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated part of the Sentinel is published in the last quarter of each year, the results of the Iron Collar photography contest.  The best of the best photos for the year are scrutinized, voted upon, and one gifted photographer is awarded an iron collar, the real thing from Turkey.

With e-mail and internet making rapid advances and becoming generally available, we have begun to offer an e-membership in ADI. This includes all of the rights and privileges of ADI membership, but without a printed Akbash Sentinel.  Instead, a high quality pdf version is e-mailed to e-members.  This has proven to be a major saver of costs for printing and mailing Sentinels out of North America.  As plasma screen monitors evolve and become easier on the eyes, more people within Canada and the United States are also selecting e-membership, and saving money in the process (not to mention trees).