When I posted the video of Rex and Tyson meeting, I didn’t think anyone would care. Then it hit 1.3 million views.
What that video never showed is how Rex ended up at our kennel in the first place, and the one mistake I made that almost changed the whole thing.
That’s the part the YouTube clip left out.
Bringing Rex Back to Our Kennel
Rex was one of our puppies before we sold him to a family a few kilometers from us.
Owners worked abroad and spent summers on a big property in Tresnjevica.
Rex’s job was to guard the house and looking out for the family. Kids spent hours out in the yard with him every day, playing together.
One day a neighbor walked into the yard while Rex was out there loose with the kids.
She’d been told not to come in. She came in anyway, carrying a broom to defend herself in case Rex went after her.
Rex saw a stranger walking toward the kids with something raised in her hand.
Update: After speaking with Rex’s previous owner, I’ve clarified the details of what happened next.
Unlike the initial reports, we now know that Rex did bite the woman after she moved the broom to defend herself. She fell to the ground and stayed motionless until the owner arrived.
This incident caused significant distress and eventually led to a legal dispute.
Arrival of Authorities – Inspection
When the authorities stepped in, things went from bad to worse.
They found out Rex hadn’t been vaccinated in years, and even though he had a passport, he wasn’t microchipped.
The reason? It was simple: local vets were literally afraid to get close to him, seeing that his owner couldn’t control him.
Between the bite and the missing health records, the law was clear – Rex was ordered to be euthanized.
The Rescue: My Father’s Risky Decision
My father wouldn’t hear of it – there was no way he’d let one of our dogs be put down, no matter the risk.
Bringing Rex back and getting his vaccinations and microchip up to date was our top priority, but honestly, it felt like an impossible mission.
Rex was a massive, agile dog who had never spent a day off his property.
He had teeth like a wolf, and since a dog muzzle was out of the question, we knew we were in for a fight.
At my father’s insistence, the owner took the lead, and they set off on a walk together. Those 20 minutes were probably the longest of their lives, but they made it happen.
Rex was finally with us!
But the real battle started at the kennel. For eight days, Rex wouldn’t let anybody near him.
We tried everything but he didn’t care. He simply wouldn’t back down.
The Turning Point
Then, my father decided to try a trick of his own. I can’t go into the details of what he did, but it completely caught Rex off guard.
Rex finally understood that my father was in charge.
That’s when I saw a side of Rex I didn’t expect. He wasn’t just a guard dog; he was incredibly smart.
Rather than rushing in, Rex watched what was happening, thought it through, and made his move at the right time.
When he was with my father, he’d transform – showing this pure, honest joy every time he got a pat on the head or went for a walk.
But don’t get me wrong, the “beast” was still there. If a stranger or another animal got too close, he would “flip a switch”.
It was clear he hadn’t been socialized. Because he’d spent his whole life in one place, we knew we had to be extremely careful moving forward.
When the vet came for the microchipping, it was a mess.
Rex was tense, literally “digging his claws into the ground.” It wasn’t the smooth, easy process we hoped for, but we got him legal and protected.
When Rex Met an American Bully
As an economist, I tend to rely on facts rather than assumptions.
Looking at the numbers and my own experience with the breed, one thing stands out: the Sarplaninac has never been considered a “prestigious dog.”
Take the World Dog Show, for example. With around 20,000 entries, seeing a Sarplaninac on the winner’s podium is extremely rare.
Why?
There isn’t just one reason. A lot of things have led to this, and here’s how I see it:
- Weak marketing.
- Most owners never read the FCI Standard No. 41/03.10.1980/GB, even though it explains what the Sarplaninac is supposed to look like. Instead, they trust the opinion of a FCI judge who claims to know dozens of breeds or a breeder with a long list of champions. I’ll explain why this matters in another article. Only a small number of dogs truly deserve titles like CAC and BOB. At the same time, many national champions wouldn’t even earn a grade of 4.
- Social media doesn’t help either. Instead of showing balanced Sarplaninacs, it often highlights aggressive or fearful dogs, giving people the wrong picture of the breed.
- A similarity to the Caucasian Shepherd Dog – a solution is here.
- The stereotype is that Sarplaninacs belong in the mountains with sheep and a small hut, while urban areas deserve much better and prestigious options. My message to them is to continue promoting their pets in superlatives but not at the expense of others.
- EU regulations and restrictions such as the ban on “dangerous dog imports.” An ideal example is Denmark and its blacklist, which is a clear indicator that some countries lack the institutions and expert staff (trainers and breeders) to bring things under control.
- The belief that every calm, stable Sarplaninac should happily accept strangers walking up, petting it, and trying to play with it (at home). Otherwise, the dog is labeled as “aggressive,” and it becomes necessary to send it to obedience school to learn proper behavior. My message is simple: stop doing this!
- Are Facebook groups with more than 20,000 members a good source of information? They can be, but you need to know who you’re listening to. In most groups, only about 30% of the dogs are quality examples of the breed. The other 70% are simply pets. That doesn’t make those groups useless. They’re still a great place to share experiences, ask questions, and have honest discussions that can help people better understand the breed.
- Lastly, a simple question for you – Name five movies where the Sarplaninac dog is the main character? If you can’t answer, try “German Shepherd Dog” in a Google search… I’m sure you’ll have more success.
American Bully Dog – Tyson
I hope you now have a better understanding of the Sarplaninac and why this breed deserves more attention around the world.
That’s exactly why I told my father we needed to change our approach.
I wanted to create content that puts other breeds in the spotlight while letting people outside the Balkans see what our dogs are really like.
These videos take a lot of time to make. We spend hours waiting for the right moments, filming, editing, and sometimes putting ourselves in risky situations just to show what these dogs are really like.
I’m proud of every view we get, but I’ve also had to face a tough reality.
I know my audience. I see the comments from people who have a low opinion of how we handle our dogs.
Some hate seeing the dog on a chain; they talk about “democracy and freedom” for animals.
I get it – they love dogs and think that what works for a Chihuahua will work for a 50kg Sarplaninac.
But here’s the thing: when I post the “good” content, the engagement disappears. Where are the likes, shares, and discussions then?
I realized I wasn’t giving my subscribers what they really wanted.
And that’s where Tyson comes in, the American Bully from our viral video.
I told my father to find me dogs from the “Champions League.” The friendly match had to be played away from home – Kangal, Caucasian Shepherd, Pitbull …
Around that time, we sold a little Sarplaninac puppy. The new owner asked my father to come over and talk about feeding, socialization, and a few other things that matter when raising a young dog.
And of course, any responsible breeder would help a nearby owner who asks for advice.
During that visit, my father met Tyson, an American Bully whose training abroad had cost around €2,500.
With a single command, Tyson would go after a man holding a gun.
The only downside was that he was overweight.
When my father got home, he said, “I’ve found the dog for your next video.”
“What breed?” I asked.
“Something like a Pitbull,” he replied.
To be honest, I wasn’t too excited. It wasn’t a Pitbull, and it was about 35°C outside.
Still, I thought it was worth a try.
In the end, we picked three dogs: Bux, Tyson, and Rex.
Why Didn’t We Choose Bux or Tyson?
Bux, the Sarplaninac we’ve been waiting almost 30 years, is a powerful dog.
In my opinion, he’s the dog that comes closest to the FCI Standard No. 41/03.10.1980/GB.
However, when we shot the video, he was still quite young, and any risky scenes would’ve been too big a gamble.
Tyson, on the other hand, is a different story. He’s the most confident Sarplaninac I’ve ever met.
Even Astor, who was a year older than Tyson, trembled in his presence.
I remember one dog show where my father walked Tyson just before entering the show ring.
They passed two large cages with big (barking) dogs inside.
Tyson walked over to the cages, raised his hind leg to relieve himself, and continued on without a care. Thank God the owners weren’t there …
In the show ring, if another dog came too close, one look from Tyson was enough to stop it.
In the end, we decided Tyson wasn’t the right dog for this video because he would’ve just walked around as if the other dogs weren’t even there.
Which Part of the Video Got the Most Attention?
It was the one scene that was never part of the plan. Unfortunately, many people saw it as “Sarplaninac vs. American Bully,” but that wasn’t the case at all.
My original plan was to show what American Bully Tyson could do with his owner by his side.
He really is an awesome dog!
After that, I just wanted a few shots of Rex and Tyson standing a safe distance apart. That was the whole plan.
Then the comments started coming in:
“The old dog can barely walk anymore.”
“His time is over.”
“Who is he going to protect?”
Those comments weren’t easy to ignore.
So we agreed to shoot a few risky scenes. Once we started, there was no turning back.
In the end, we got every shot we wanted, and nobody got hurt.
Then everything went quiet …
A Grass Trimmer Test
Rex is a Sarplaninac who isn’t afraid of anything, and I wanted to show that on camera.
I didn’t want to use a fake gun for the “courage test”. Instead, my father came up with a better idea: a grass trimmer.
It’s loud, and most dogs back away from it.
We recorded the whole thing. The moment my father started the trimmer, Rex didn’t flinch.
He did the exact opposite. He started barking nonstop and charged straight at it, ready to tear it apart. The moment my father turned it off, Rex was calm again.
Of course, some people on social media immediately called it “animal cruelty.” That wasn’t the case at all.
Once I explained the purpose of the test, many people saw it differently.
Believe me, not every dog reacts like that. Most would have run the other way.
We Have Reached the End of the Story
Sarplaninac Rex left a deep mark on our kennel.
He was incredibly smart, deeply loyal to the people he accepted, and extremely tough toward strangers and other animals.
Even though he was only 68 cm tall, all our dogs respected him, except Tyson.
If he had been a little younger, around 5 years old, he would’ve put up a serious fight against a wolf. Of course, no dog in the world stands a chance against a bear.
I’m not saying Rex would win one-on-one against a wolf. But he would make a wolf think twice before attacking the property, and most likely send it in the other direction.
One thing should be clear: Rex and I couldn’t play together alone. My father had to be there.
But even though I couldn’t pet him or take him for a walk whenever I wanted, I loved him.
Thank you for your time and attention.
If you have any questions, ask them in the comments below.
Hello. In your video rex vs tyson iam the guy im the white shirt. I buyd the son of your dog and named him Thor. I rrally want to have contact to your family for the knowlegde you have of the breed.
Woth good Greetings
Gordian
Hello Gordian,
Yes, that’s right! We heard each other on whatsapp and we are glad that Thor is well. We are looking forward to new pictures …
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment below our article.
Greetings,
Alen Stefanovic