Big changes are coming to our YouTube channel, and we want to be completely transparent with you about why.
YouTube membership program is now active, and we want to take a moment to explain why this matters for our community.
While we’ll always share free videos and Shorts, our most valuable content now lives behind a membership wall for reasons that might not surprise you.
The truth is, creating these videos demands immense time, resources, and the current system simply isn’t working.
I’ll explain why we had to take this step and what each membership tier offers. Whether you choose to join or stick with our free content, we’re grateful for your support!
How It All Began?
As you can see, we have a vast collection of photos of our dogs on our website and social media. We always knew that many of these images would be downloaded and used without our permission (even though they carry our logo).
Despite this, people still repost them on platforms where we aren’t active, often without credit or acknowledgment.
Our stolen Sarplaninac photos keep appearing on unsafe, low-quality websites. The worst part? Google ranks them at the top of search results.
When we filed removal requests and submitted proof of ownership, we received a generic response: “This is not sufficient – contact the website owner directly to resolve the dispute.”
Translation? Google would rather protect shady sites than original creators.
We’re constantly told “quality over quantity,” but the algorithm rewards something else entirely – backlinks, even if they come from spammy, unsafe sources. Meanwhile, our original content gets buried unless we play a rigged game.
This isn’t just unfair, it’s why we can no longer operate under the same rules.
At the end, I’ll show you the “winner” – someone who’s using our photos to charge for their services.
We want to clarify that we have no association with this site and take no responsibility for their services.
Youtbe Vidoes?
The situation is similar to what happened with the photos.
Last year, we opened a profile on the TikTok network and then came across an interesting video.
A marketing agency used content without our knowledge to create a video about Sarplaninacs, then charged a third party for this service.
We didn’t want to take legal action (the video has almost 70K views and is a great promotion of a rare breed in the world).
Why Youtube Paid Memberships?
This decision wasn’t made lightly. After years of sharing free content, we realized our current model simply wasn’t sustainable. Here’s why:
- A Lack of Quality Competition;
- The Harsh Reality of a Rare Breed;
- “Silent” Followers Who Don’t Engage;
- Stolen Content – Zero Credit;
A Lack of Quality Competition
I’m talking specifically about breeders or vloggers who own just one dog. To this day, I still haven’t found a single Šarplaninac kennel with over 300+ YouTube videos.
Do you know any vlogger who:
✔ Owns a true breed-standard Šarplaninac,
✔ Creates actually interesting content (travel adventures, funny moments, etc.),
✔ And has a large, engaged following?
If so, drop their name in the comments – I’d love to see them!
The Harsh Reality of a Rare Breed
Unlike popular dog breeds, Sarplaninacs have a tiny global community. As I’ve mentioned before, the film could be a great starting point.
The screenplay I wrote still hasn’t found its way into a production studio.
Silent Followers Who Don’t Engage
I’m not just talking about our YouTube followers (we’re incredibly grateful for them!), but about all lovers of this breed.
To a large extent, we creators are also at fault! We haven’t managed to make our content engaging enough or build a stronger connection with our audience through live streams and similar interactions.
Our most-watched videos are the ones with tension and drama – simulated fake attacks by strangers, confrontations between two dogs, and so on.
Meanwhile, dog shows, puppies playing, or our hiking in the mountains get far fewer views! Why?
I don’t believe the solution is aggressive marketing, meaning having messages pop up during videos saying “please subscribe, like & share and leave a comment below”.
The reason is very simple – I don’t like it!
At the end of some of our videos, you’ll see YouTube’s subscribe reminder. We simply believe that if someone enjoyed watching, they might want to join our YouTube family.
However, we’ve always kept our videos clean – no mid-roll subscription prompts or distracting pop-ups (ads are an exception).
Stolen Content – Zero Credit
This is the smallest part of the problem, honestly. Bad marketing is still marketing! I understand when someone uses our photos or videos for educational purposes, that’s fine.
But when people steal our content with the intention of financial gain, deliberately creating “duplicate content” to push our website down in Google search results – that’s where I draw the line.
They won’t go unpunished!
We are considering all available options, in consultation with our lawyers!!
Your Membership Benefits – Why Join?
By choosing any membership level, you’re directly supporting our kennel’s work and for that, we’re deeply grateful. We’ve already published:
- 50+ exclusive videos (with more coming!);
- Photos of 43 (different) dogs from our kennel and we’re adding more.
Now, here’s what each tier unlocks:
Tier 1 – The Supporter
- Loyalty badge next to your name in comments/live chats
- Custom emojis for interactions
- Recognition on our YouTube channel page
- Early access to new videos
- Priority replies to your comments
- Ad-free YouTube Shorts (no distracting music!)
Tier 2 – The Insider
*(Includes all Tier 1 perks +)*
- Social media shoutout (feature your dog/pet on our platforms)
- Members-only images
- Premium videos (completely ad-free)
Tier 3 – The VIP
*(Includes all Tier 1 & 2 perks +)*
- Lower price when purchasing puppies/dogs
- Ultra-rare content (behind-the-scenes, breeding insights, and more)
Free content isn’t disappearing, but the best content now has a gate (not to exclude, but to ensure we can keep creating it).
