In September 2023, the great and shining star of our cynology passed away. The doyen, legend, expert, breeder and commander in one person, Mr. Ing. Karel Hartl, lived to be 99 years old and we are now introducing him to our virtual hall of fame. He will definitely not get lost among his fellow cynologists and will certainly entertain them there with his eternal optimism.
Ing. Karel Hartl is known to almost every dog owner not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Slovakia and further abroad. He was..., but actually not, he will forever be the father of the Czech and Slovak national breed of Czechoslovakian Vlciak. He was an amazing person, and many of us should learn from him. He devoted his whole life to dogs, especially service dogs, and also to the people around them. It is a great honor for us to be able to bring you a little closer to his colorful life, dedicated work and eternal legacy...
Lt.Col., (ret.) Ing. Karel Hartl
(*14. 8. 1924 – †28. 9. 2023)
Chief of the Service Cynology Group of the Service Execution Department of the Border Guard Headquarters of the Ministry of National Defence
Chief of the Operational Department of Service Cynology
An important personality of service cynology
There are only a few "dog lovers" who would not be familiar with this name. Karel Hartl has spent his entire long life with dogs. He devoted himself to them from a young age and, by coincidence, they became his life's content and destiny. In the 1950s, together with Karel Všolek, they were the organizers of the breeding of German Shepherds at the kennel of the former Border Guard, which is still in operation today. Even though we have been hearing a lot of unflattering things about PS in recent years, the fact remains that imports from the countries of origin of the breed at the time of not quite free contact were able to maintain the level of our breeding of German Shepherds. Although Karel Hartl later devoted his efforts to the creation of a new breed – the Czechoslovakian Vlciak, he deserves thanks for a number of well-founded articles on dog breeding and training. As well as for the book on training, which has been published in several editions. I have listened to his lectures on various topics several times. I don't think I know anyone who can talk about dogs in a comprehensible way. Karel Hartl, despite the occasional difficulties that age probably brings, is still very fresh and full of vigour. (from the archive of PPČ correspondent Jan Stibůrek)
Original profession
Karel Hartl was born in Blatná near Strakonic. He trained as a toolmaker, and his hobby became repairing typewriters. During this activity, he learned to type very well, and this allowed him to use his experience in the personnel department after joining the Border Guard, where he established himself as a typist. During his tenure in this position, he gained a plethora of personal contacts, as he was present at all the muster-ins and non-commissioned officers who joined the Border Guard immediately after the end of World War II. Later, his other independent activity was the posting of professional drivers, including technical and technological equipment, to embassies abroad, where our Ministry of Foreign Affairs operated.
Career advancement and major life events
07/21/1945 - Joined the Ministry of National Security, where he underwent basic training at the SNB Domažlice.
08/17/1945 - Executive body of the Internal Guard of Vítkovice
11/16/1945 - The executive body of the National Security Corps (SNB) – the Border Department of Zlaté návrší, found a German Shepherd dog running loose here, hearing the name RALF, later he was transferred to the border detachment of the SNB.
Year 1946 - Promoted to the rank of sergeant.
6/6/1946 - Dog handler of the National Security Corps, border department of Datlova Bouda on Zlaté Návrší
1946 - With his service dog Riky, he completed a basic course for dog handlers at the Institute for Breeding and Training of Gendarmerie Dogs in Pyšely near Prague.
06/26/1947 - Participation in the UPA emergency unit in Slovakia against Bandera + Clona – training in Frymburk.
12/21/1947 - Deputy Commander of the SNB platoon in Datlovy Boudy
5/31/1948 - Police inspector of the National Security Corps in Hradec Králové.
01/06/1949 - Personnel Administration, Operations Department Officer, Battalion Service in Hradec Králové
1950 - After the abolition of the State Border Protection, he left for the headquarters of the Border Guard 9600 Prague.
02/01/1950 - Student of the Military School Prague-Vršovice
08/10/1950 - He obtained permission to marry Zdenka Hejna and subsequently married her.
01/02/1951 - Promoted to the rank of second lieutenant.
07/01/1951 - Promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
07/16/1951 - Company commander with a service dog, Border Guard Vejprty unit
05/01/1953 - Promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant.
Year 1951 - He was appointed commander of the Non-Commissioned Officer School of the Border Guard in Doupov.
2.1.1952 - Commander of the 9300 Border Guard Doupov, where he was appointed to the position of General Šmolda. It was the Military District.
11/01/1953 - Completed a Russian language course before being sent to the USSR.
02/10/1954 - Training course for dog handlers and commanders in Alma Ata (USSR), where he traveled with his service dog Kazbek.
04/01/1955 - Chief of Service Cynology of the Operational Department of the Fire Brigade PS 9600
05/01/1956 - Promoted to the rank of captain.
09/01/1959 - Senior Cynology Officer, Operations Department of the Operational Department of HS PS 9600
05/01/1961 - Promoted to the rank of major.
05/01/1966 - Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
06/30/1963 - He completed a five-year study at the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Agriculture in Prague, majoring in animal husbandry, where he obtained the title of engineer.
January 01, 1966 - Transferred from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of National Defence.
03/01/1966 - Chief of the Service Cynology Group, Service Department, Border Guard Headquarters of the Ministry of National Defence.
1966 - He left for Cuba, where he founded a kennel in San Chos, 40 km from Havana, a stay of seven months, where he brought with him a state gift, namely 30 dogs of the German Shepherd breed, adding that the dogs had kennels in Cuba for a long time from the transport crates in which the dogs were transported.
07/01/1973 - Senior Senior Officer of the Service Department of the Operations Department
1/1/1976 - Temporarily entrusted with the position of Chief of the Service Cynology Group of the Operational Department of HS PS 9600.
Year 1978 - He leaves for Cuba for three months, where he brings with him a state gift of six dogs, he trains drug-sniffing dogs for airports and ports, he stays there for three months, he gives Fidel Castro a dog - a harlequin mastiff.
01/12/1980 - Chief of the Operational Department of Service Cynology of the Main Border Guard Administration in the protection of state borders.
Year 1981 - He leads a one-year training of instructors of service cynology in Cuba with a focus on weapon detection.
Year 1983 - After more than 27 years, the Chief of the Operational Department of the Border Guard is leaving the post.
Year 1985 - He went to Cuba again at the invitation of Fidel Castro to help with the implementation of the breed as a consultant, due to the large death of dogs due to parasitic muscle disease, he secured medicines from Mexico, due to problems he had Dobermans imported from Jamaica, which acclimatized more easily to the local conditions.
Year 1988 - Outside the performance of his original assignment, he leaves again for Cuba, where he brings a total of 25 dogs.
Medals awarded
Deadline 1955 - For the service of the authorities
Deadline 1961 - For zásluhy about the defense of power
Cynological awards received by Karel Hartl
Year 2004 - Honorary member of the Czech Cynological Association
Year 2007 - Silver Medal for long-term activity for the benefit of Czechoslovak and Czech Cynology – awarded by the Czech Cynological Union
Year 2008 - Honorary member of the Italian club Cane LUPO
Year 2010 - Award for Merit in the Establishment of the Czechoslovak Wolfdog by the Cane LUPO Club
Year 2013 - Gold Medal of the Slovak Cynological Union
Karel Hartl's contribution
Ing. Karel Hartl is one of the pioneers of service cynology, especially the breeding of the German Shepherd Dog, education and training itself. In the course of his life, he participated in the creation of a number of publications, which are still sought after by cynological experts and historians, not only in the Czech and Slovak Republics, but also abroad. He is the author of a number of professional articles, which he published in the magazines Stráž vlasti, Bulletin AV, Hunde revue, Naše vojsko, Kynologie, Pes přítel člověk and Fauna. He also lectured at professional conferences and symposia in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and abroad. During his life, he selflessly passed on all his professional knowledge, which he gained during his many years of activity, to the younger generation. In recent years, he has enjoyed participating in events organized by cynological organizations that deal with service training, breeding and exhibitions. Let me give you an example: the Department of Service Cynology and Hipology of the Police Presidium, the Conference of Police Historians at the Museum of the Police of the Czech Republic, the Basic Cynological Organization Chomutov, the Kennel Krásnoočko, the Basic Cynological Organization Aš, etc.
During his life, Ing. Karel Hartl selflessly passed on all his professional knowledge, which Ing. Karel Hartl gained during his many years of activity, to the younger generation!
Publications of Karel Hartl
Year 1957 - Guidelines for the training of service dogs in the Chamber of Deputies
1965 - I. Czechoslovak Symposium on German Shepherd Dog Breeding, Kolín
Year 1969 - Dog Training – co-author (Hartl, Němec, Skuhrovský), Prague
Year 1970 - Dog Training – co-author (Hartl, Němec, Skuhrovský), Bratislava
Year 1970 - Cynology – textbooks for officials
1972 - I. Symposium of Dog Training with International Participation, Pardubice
Year 1976 - Training and use of service dogs in OSH
Year 1979 - Raising and training a dog
Year 1983 - Man and Dog
Year 1983 - Law and national borders
1986 - Man and Dog
Year 1989 - Man and Dog
Year 1996 - Czechoslovak Wolfdog (Hartl, Jedlička)
Year 2010 - In the footsteps of the courses (Šefraný, Hartl)
Year 2010 - History of Service Cynology
Year 2011 - Dewy Memories (Kábele, Hartl)
Year 2016 - Border Guards in Memoirs and Deeds (Kábele, Hartl)
Year 2018 - Border Guards in Memory and Deeds (Kábele, Hartl)
Interspecific crossing project of German Shepherd and Carpathian wolf
Between 1956 and 1982, Karel Hartl carried out a scientific project at the beginning of his service career. The task of the project was to examine the possibilities of crossing wolves into German Shepherd breeding. The aim was to gain greater resistance in the winter conditions of the border mountains. Another aim was to find out the possibility of using some of the wolf's characteristics for service at the state border. In the end, the so-called creation of a new breed - the Czechoslovakian Vlciak - was to take place. However, the project was terminated during the implementation due to the fact that the new breed did not meet the conditions for use in service cynology due to its negative characteristics.
Performance in civilian canine functions
1956 – 1968 - Chairman of the Czechoslovak Cynological Association.
1959 – 1981 - Representative in the International Cynological Union (FCI)
1959 – 1991 - Member of the Central Committee of the Czechoslovak Association of Small Animal Breeders
1966 - At the 3rd Congress of the Czechoslovak Association of Small Animal Breeders, he was elected a member of the Central Committee and at the same time the chairman of the expert committee for service dogs.
1982 – 1993 - Chairman of the breeding committee of the Czechoslovak Wolfdog.
Ing. Bc. Jiří Rulc
Photos, sources and archives: personal file of Karel Hartl, archive of Karel Hartl, archive of Jiří Rulec, archive of the Chamber of Deputies, collection of ABS, fund 2322/PS, archive of Jan Stibůrek, archive of Jan Bystrianský, archive of Michaela Šultová
Taken from
Translated from Google
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