The Saluki

Once upon a time there was a man that went to the vet to get a checkup on his little dog, as he was in the waiting room he noticed an animal that was pathetically thin...this dog was just thin! Seeing a veterinarian he went up and asked if the poor thing was starving to death, he soon became confused though because the vet started laughing, barely controlling himself the young vet finally gave an explanation..."that is not a starving animal, in fact he is rather healthy, the dog that you see sitting there is a Saluki, he belongs to one of the staff and in fact that is how the Saluki is supposed to look...really thin."

The Saluki or the Persian hound as he is also known is a dog that has an elegant aristocratic look about him. He is a sight hound and he does not really use his nose much at all in his hunting. This is a dog that is used even today in south Arabia by the Bedouins to hunt and bring down gazelle, they use them in a team along with falcons and such...and do you know what? They do a good job!
The modern world has discovered this dog and decided to turn him into a pet, so out with the working dog and in with the family.

It is a strange thing that happens to dogs once they are discovered by the modern world: they are taken from the environment that created them and then they are put through strict breeding programs that many times breed out their originality and uniqueness and turn them into a brainless household pet...it is sad really because many breeds have suffered from this transformation and others have become lost and extinct because of it. I think that it is time to stop trying to change the dogs that we have and just be happy with them and realize that they are part of a country’s culture and an important part of their country’s history. Every time we change a dog breed we are changing an important part of history that should be preserved.

Well, getting back to the Saluki, this is a dog that has short hair all over his body with beautiful long feathers on his ears. The colors of his coat that are allowed are: white, cream, black and light brown; you can even find Salukis that are tri-colored. His tail also has feathers on it and is really elegant and beautiful to behold.

This is an ancient breed that has its origins in the middle east, the breed was named after a town called Saluk (now gone) the breed was used by many of the Bedouin tribes and became known all over as a dog that could get the job done. They say that even the pharaohs used this breed for hunting with falcons...during the middle ages the Muslims saw this dog as a holy gift from the hand of Allah himself. Because of the supposed holy origins of the dog, the people could eat the meat that the Saluki brought down, some kinds of which would have been forbidden because of their religion. The very first Saluki to reach the west came to England in the year of 1835, but the sad thing is this wonderful and unique breed was not officially recognized until 1924...and even worse, the breed standard did not really come into being until 1968, that is bad.

The Saluki is a breed of dog that is sensitive and intelligent, although he can be a little reserved around strangers; he is never to be aggressive and nervous. However, to be able to control those great hunting instincts you have to put your pup through obedience training! This is a dog that needs a lot of space, he is not recommended for life in an apartment and really he needs a big garden and a good walk every day to keep him happy and healthy.

Never buy a puppy from a backyard breeder, spend the extra money and get yourself a puppy from a breeder that cares about his animals and can offer you some sort of guarantee on the dog's health, no reason to spend all that money for nothing!