We are Eris and Bally, two salukis who live with our humans in Greenville, SC.� You can see pictures of us on our individual pages.� On this page we will try to provide a little information about salukis, since not everyone is acquainted with our breed.� So, just what is a saluki you may ask?
Salukis are part of the sighthound family of dogs, dogs that hunt their prey by sight, rather than by scent like a beagle or coonhound does.� However, this doesn't mean salukis don't have good noses, just ask Eris, she can sniff out food anywhere!
Salukis are thought by many (highly intelligent people) to be the original breed of dog to be bred for breed type.� Historically, salukis travelled with the nomads of North Africa and Middle East.� Salukis look the way they do because they were expected to be able to run game for up to five miles.
All of the sighthounds are runners and each have their specialty. Greyhounds and whippets are spriters and will go very fast (up to 40 mph+) over the first 1000 yards. At that point, they will begin to fade, because they were bred for short sprints on rabbits. Salukis, on the other hand, were bred to be distance runners. At 1000 yards, they are just getting up to top speed (35 mph+). Salukis are considered the marathon runners of the sighthound world.
Salukis and falcons were used together to hunt gazelle. Salukis are still found in the Middle East today and there are a few people in the US who have imported dogs directly from the Middle East. Some of these "country of origin" dogs can be seen at Saluki Nationals in the desert bred exhibition. These dogs are not currently eligible for AKC registration, though some people are working to change that.
One of the most famous "country of origin" salukis is Ch Abdul Farouk (who incidentally is an ancestor of ours). He was imported into the US following World War II and ended up living with Esther Bliss Knapp of Pine Paddocks kennels. Abdul Farouk was not one of the original imported salukis, but came into the US at a very important time, when new saluki blood was needed.
At first glance, many people who aren't familiar with us think we are greyhounds or maybe Afghan hounds.� These dogs are our first cousins.� Greyhounds are the sprinters of the canine world, they are extremely fast over short distances.� Salukis are the marathon runners.� In our native land, we had to run for up to five miles at top speed to bring down prey.� Salukis primarily ran over the open sand, while Afghan hounds ran over rockier terrain (that's why their feet are so big!).�
Today salukis are not one of the more popular breeds in the United States.� That is just fine, as we are not the best owners for most humans.� Humans considering turning themselves over to saluki leadership should be aware of the following facts.
