I thought that we would start with the newest stamp for Bernese Mountain
Dogs from the local Russian state of Abkahzia. The economy of the former
Soviet Union has continued to deteriorate and in an effort to generate
income, the local states have started to issue topical stamps in the
hopes that collectors will buy them and the government will not have to
supply the associated postal services. Whatever the reason, this is a
wonderful stamp to add to the Bernese collection. It was issued in 1998
and is still difficult to find.
Bernese Mountain Dog Abkhazia Stamp... $6.95 each
Isn't this the most delightful stamp from Ajman? Ajman is the smallest of the United Arab Emirates. It is
immediately to the north of and mostly surrounded by Sharjah.
Like most of the country, Ajman is in the process
of changes which amount to a transformation. The central area
is rapidly being modernized and it is clear that Ajman has no
intention of being left behind the other Emirates. It is here
that the Victory speedboats are built and Ajman is determined
to enjoy a share of the United Arab Emirates' victories for
itself.
Bernese Mountain Dog Ajman Stamp... $9.95 each
Bhutan is a tiny, landlocked country, squeezed between China and India, the two most
populous countries. It takes its native name -- Druk Yul -- from the fierce
storms that sweep down out of the Himalayan Mountains. Druk Yul means "land of
the thunder dragon." Bhutan is the last surviving Buddhist kingdom in the
Himalayas and its deeply devout Buddhist culture bears a strong resemblance
to that found in Tibet. Wary of foreign influence, Bhutan has full diplomatic
ties with only 16 countries and sightseers were barred from the country until
1974. Even now, Bhutan limits the number of tourists to just 4,000 a year. Over the
years, they have issued a number of stamps, but not with breeds of dogs until 1997.
Bernese Mountain Dog Bhutan Stamp... $5.95 each
Dagestan is one of the republics of the former USSR. Located between the Caspian
Sea on the East and Caucasus mountains on the West, it is probably one of the
most attractive places in that part of the globe. Its area is close to that
of Scotland. With population of just above 2 million people, Dagestan is
the homeland to over 36 different nationalities, and each one of those
nationalities has its own unique language. Such combination of languages,
cultures, types of landscape and customs makes it a one of a kind place
in the world. These days, however, Dagestan is going through the times
of heavy unrest, both political and ethnical. In 1999, they issued a lovely set
of dogs stamps including this Bernese Mountain Dog.
Bernese Mountain Dog Dagestan Stamp... $5.95 each
Gabon is in Africa and in 1996, they issued the most
unusual set of stamps for dogs that I have seen in a
long time. Each dog is artistically presented in a
somewhat Art Deco fashion. The Bernese Mountain Dog
is quite attractive. It was not so successful with
some of the other breeds, unfortunately.
Bernese Mountain Dog Gabon Stamp... $5.95 each
This Gambia baby can't be beat. What a wonderful portrait of a deserving breed. The
stamp was issued in 1999 along with puppies from other breeds.
The Gambia is a long and narrow country in West Africa that parallels and takes
in both sides of the Gambia River. It is surrounded by Senegal on
all sides, except on the Atlantic coast, and for this reason the
two countries have a lot of ethnic and cultural ties. In contrast to Senegal,
a former French colony, The Gambia was colonized by Britain and gained it's
Independence on February 18, 1965.
Bernese Mountain Dog Gambia Stamp... $5.95 each
Guinea is partial heir to the series of west African empires
that, at their height before the arrival of the Europeans,
cast significant political and commercial influence over many
peoples from Guinea's Atlantic coast to the southern edge of
the Sahara. The empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai spanned
the period from about the 10th to the 15th centuries.
French military penetration into the area began in the
mid-19th century. Guinea became an independent republic in 1958.
Bernese Mountain Dog Guinea Stamp... $6.95 each
Jewish Republic is another local Russian state near Siberia.
Bernese Mountain Dog Jewish Republic Stamp... $5.95 each
Kalmykia is a republic within the Russian Federation. The Kalmyks settled the Volga
River region in the seventeenth century. A Mongol people, they were originally
Buddhist in faith. Annexed to Russian in 1771, a Kalmyk Autonomous Province was
created by the Bolsheviks in 1920. This was abolished during the Second World War,
when, in common with many other ethnic minorities, the Kalmyks were deemed to
have displayed insufficient enthusiasm for fighting for Communism. The customary mass
deportations followed. An Autonomous Republic was re-established in 1958. This stamp was
issued in 1999 but I have no information on who the model was. Notice that it is
the same dog as shown below from the Kuril Islands.
Bernese Mountain Dog Kalmykia Stamp (left)... $5.95 each
Bernese Mountain Dog Kalmykia Stamp (right)... $5.95 each
Notice that this apparently was the same model that was used for the Kalmykia stamp
above, but this time, it is a strip of three attractive stamps issued in 1999. They are issued
by the Kuril Islands which are a chain of 56 large and small volcanic islands in far
eastern Russia, extening from northeastern Hokkaido Island in Japan to southern Kamchatka
Peninsula in Russia. The Kurils are heavily forested and contain many active
volcanoes.
The Kurils were settled by both the Russians and Japanese in the 18th century.
In 1875 Japan ceded to Russia the nearby island of Sakhalin in exchange for
full Japanese possession of the Kurils. The islands were returned to the
USSR by an agreement reached at the
Yalta Conference during World War II (1939-1945). After the war Japan
maintained a claim to the southernmost islands, and the territorial
dispute prohibited the countries from signing a peace treaty. That dispute has
not been settled to this day.
Bernese Mountain Dog Kuril Islands Ministrip... $8.95 each
Karakalpakia, now under the domain of Uzbekistan, is on the edge
of the shrinking Aral Sea, which has recently
revealed a shocking scale of environmentally induced disease. Women and children
are most severely affected from the spread of pesticides and other pollutants as
the lake - once the fourth largest in the world - has turned into a desert,
its waters siphoned off to irrigate vast cotton fields and rice paddies in Central
Asia. Over 20 per cent of the young women, aged 13-19, have kidney disease, and another
23 per cent suffer from thyroid dysfunctions. And many women have high levels of
lead, zinc and strontium in their blood. Although the Aral Sea probably has less
than 10 years of life left, if nothing is done to salvage what remains of it,
the 1.1 million residents of Karakalpakia are under immediate health threats.
If nothing is done to improve the health of the people we may be witnessing the
end of another entire society as a result of human folly. This stamp was issued
in 1999.
Bernese Mountain Dog Karakalpakia Stamp... $5.95 each
Together with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan
forms a region known as Central Asia. The area of Kyrgyzstan is almost completely
mountainous and is subject to major earthquakes. It declared its independence with the
downfall of the Soviet Empire in 1991. They issued this wonderful stamp in 1999.
This has to be one of the cutest stamps of any breed that has
been issued in a long time.
Bernese Mountain Dog Kyrgyzstan Stamp 1... $5.95 each
This is another stamp from Kyrgyzstan, issued, this time, in 2001.
Bernese Mountain Dog Kyrgyzstan Stamp 2... $5.95 each
This is a much older stamp, put out by Laos 1986.
I kept being convinced that it was not a Bernese
Mountain Dog until I examined this slight enlargement
and find that it really does have tan on the legs.
These stamps used to be quite common, but are becoming
more difficult to find all the time. Laos is located in southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of
Vietnam. Burma, Cambodia, China, Thailand and Vietnam all border Laos.
Laos is slightly larger than Utah. The climate is tropical monsoon.
Laos is a Communist state. They gained their independence from France
on July 19, 1949. The government of Laos - one of the few remaining
official Communist states - began decentralizing control and encouraging
private enterprise in 1986. Laos is the world's third-largest illicit
opium producer. It has a population of 5,777,180.
Bernese Mountain Dog Laos Stamp... $8.95 each
A great duo from Monaco, Bernese Mountain dog and St.Bernard.
Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad
linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's
mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made
Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center. Monaco is
located in western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the
southern coast of France, near the border of Italy. It is about three
times the size of The Mall in Washington DC. It has no natural
resources and no natural hazards. It is the second smallest independent
state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban with a
population of about 31,987. Its official language is French, with
English, Italian and Monegasque. It is a constitutional monarchy.
Its independence was in 1419 (beginning of the rule by the
House of Grimaldi). The Chief of State: Prince RAINIER III (since
9 May 1949); Heir Apparent Prince ALBERT Alexandre Louis Pierre, son
of the Monarch (born 14 March 1958). There are no elections, the monarchy
is hereditary. Monaco does not have an embassy in the US.
