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History of the Saluki

Saluki History in Their Countries of Origin

Just about every breed of dog has a documented man-made origin. The Saluki does not. Almost every breed of dog can be traced to an irrefutable source. The Saluki cannot.
Known for its grace, elegance, and remarkable speed, this sighthound was highly valued as a hunting companion by nomadic tribes inhabiting the “Fertile Crescent” cradle of civilization. Saluki history predates the hunter/gatherer move to village-based, agrarian communities. Evidence can be traced to ancient Mesopotamia, where skeletal remains, artifacts, depictions of similar-looking dogs suggest they existed as early as 7,000 BCE.

The Saluki breed was held in great esteem, called “el Hor” (the Noble One) by tribal Arabs, they had the same status as Arabian horses and falcons. They were highly prized for their hunting speed and ability to cover vast distances on caravan treks in harsh environmental conditions. Valued and honored companion to Egyptian nobility, the Saluki was depicted on tomb walls and known to be mummified like the Egyptian Pharaohs. The Saluki occupies a unique position in the lives of its Middle Eastern, often Bedouin owners. Ordinary dogs are considered “unclean” and may not be touched, but the Saluki is permitted into the tents of nomads and the courtyards of settled breeders. Salukis of the Bedouin brought down gazelle, bustard, hare, and other prey in desert terrain — but were trained to hold the game until their master arrived to deliver the coup de grace. Often, they would hunt gazelle in tandem with trained falcons. Over the millennia, Salukis spread from Mesopotamia and Egypt along the Silk Road to China. Variations of this ancient breed were found in desert cultures from Egypt and Sinai to Iraq and Iran. The Saluki retains high esteem even today and continues to be used for hunting in most of the regions where it traditionally worked, side by side with its master. During the Crusades and Renaissance merchant expeditions, Salukis were imported to Europe and can be seen in tapestries and paintings. European nobility kept them as both pet-souvenirs of their travel to the Middle East and status symbols.

Salukis had the same status as Arabian horses and falcons, and were highly valued for their hunting speed and ability to cover vast distances on caravan treks in harsh environmental conditions.

Salukis in the West

After a family holiday on the Nile in 1895, The Honorable Florence Amherst imported two Salukis to be the first breeding pair in England. Her friend, Wilfred Jennings-Bramly arranged for two puppies from the Tahawi tribe in Lower Egypt to be shipped to her home in Norfolk, England. She deeply admired the breed and its history and did much to bring Salukis to public notice in the first two decades of the 20th century. British officers returning from post-WWI occupation duty in the Middle East brought adopted Salukis with them.  These importations, combined with the public’s enthusiasm for all things Egyptian after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, directly led to breed recognition by the Royal Kennel Club in 1923.

In 1919, the functional and glamorous, Ch. Sarona Kelb was bred in Damascus and later brought to England by Brigadier General Frederick Fitzhugh Lance and his wife Gladys. Kelb would become a very successful show dog and prominent sire. The Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club was founded in 1923, and that same year, the Royal Kennel Club officially recognized the breed and the official standard.

Brig. Gen. F.F. Lance,  Sarona Sherif (L) son of the famous Ch. Sarona Kelb (R)

The first Salukis to reach North America came primarily by way of England. Single specimens were imported as early as 1832, 1861, and 1911 but in July 1927, a few dedicated breeders formed The Saluki Club of America to preserve and protect the breed.  The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in November that same year — and the original AKC Saluki standard remains unchanged to this day.

Senator Edwin Macomber of Rhode Island (Bararey-Jibal Salukis), Mr. W. Ralph Dodd of San Francisco, and Mr. and Mrs. S. Y.  L’Hommedieu of New Jersey (Sand Springs Salukis) were arguably the earliest, serious breeder/exhibitors. In Massachusetts, Consuelo and Carol B. Hills (O’Redledge Salukis) imported, among others, several Amherstia Salukis. Later, they helped to start the famous Diamond Hill kennels of Edward K. Aldrich Jr. in Rhode Island in 1932, which eventually consisted of as many as 50 Salukis. Mr. Aldrich was to breed many famous dogs, including Ch. Marjan II (first Saluki to win an all-breed Best in Show in America and the winner of the Hound Group at Westminster — twice). Aldrich started New Yorker Anna Marie Paterno’s El Retiro kennel, and bred Ch. Valda, the foundation of Mrs. Esther Knapp’s Pine Paddocks line in Ohio. The basic Diamond Hill line was later bred sparingly by Dorothy Redinger (Woodlake), Carol-Ann Paice Lantz, and by Audrey Hollis Benbow, who mated the famous English Mazuri bloodline to her Diamond Hill Hadji (the first Canadian Saluki Champion).

After this gradual start, in the late-1940s, Salukis finally found their solid footing in America.