Maremma Sheepdog

The Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog, Italian: Cane da Pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese, is an Italian breed of livestock guardian dog. It is indigenous to central Italy, especially to the Maremma region of Tuscany and Lazio, and to northern areas of Southern Italy, particularly to Abruzzo. It has been used for centuries by Italian shepherds to guard sheep from wolves. The "Maremmano" name derives from that of the Maremma marshlands where, until recently, shepherds, dogs and hundreds of thousands of sheep over-wintered, and where the dogs are still abundant although sheep-farming has decreased substantially. However, the breed is still widely employed in and closely culturally associated with the nearby region of Abruzzo, where sheep herding remains vital to the rural economy and where the wolf remains an active and protected predator. The "Abruzzese" portion of the dog's name derives from its ubiquity in Abruzzo and the surrounding area.

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