Greyhound

AKC Group: Hound

Club: Greyhound Club of America

Corresponding Secretary : Dani Edgerton
Address: 7115 W Calla Rd, Canfield, OH , 44406-9454
Website: www.greyhoundclubofamerica.org
Club Type: Specialty

Coat:

Short, smooth and firm in texture.

History:

The Greyhound is one of the most ancient breeds known to man, and can be traced to almost every country on every continent on the globe. The first evidence of the breed was discovered in Egypt, with carvings in old tombs dating back to 2900 and 2751 B.C. depicting dogs of unmistakable Greyhound type attacking deer and mountain goats. While these Egyptian scenes established Greyhounds at a very early date the first complete description of the breed comes from a Roman source, written by Ovid, who lived from 43 B.C. to A.D.17. There is little doubt that the dog of ancient times is the same as the one we know today.

Aristocracy and culture has always surrounded the Greyhound, and in early times royalty only bred them. England has played an important role in the development of the breed, with the first illustrations dating back to the 9th century. It was used on practically all kinds of game from deer, stags, foxes and such, but the hare is the Greyhound's natural quarry. Formal coursing events came on the scene over two centuries ago.

In America, Greyhounds can be traced back to the 1500's, brought in by Spanish explorers to "guard, hunt, intimidate and punish their enemies-in this case, the Indians". During the American Revolution, a huge Greyhound named Azor always accompanied George Washington. Greyhounds were among the first dogs recorded at American dog shows, with an entry of 18 exhibited at the Westminster Kennel Club show in 1877. They were in the second edition of the AKC Stud Book in 1885 with listings of three males and five bitches. Today the breed's most valued trait is companionship - a lovely dog with a lively personality.

Interesting Facts:

• The Greyhound is the fastest breed of dog.
  
  
• One of the most celebrated of many Greyhound owners in history was General George A. Custer. Custer was especially fond of coursing breeds - Greyhounds and "staghounds" - and traveled with a hound pack that numbered about forty. One book reports that Custer's dogs were about to run a matched race the day before he left on his fatal expedition to Big Horn River in 1876.
  
  
• The first knowledge of the Greyhound comes from the Tomb of Amten, in the Valley of the Nile, regarded by Egyptologists as belonging to the fourth dynasty, which in modern chronology would be between 2900 and 2751 B.C.
  
  
• Theories of the name "Greyhound" range from derivation from Graius, meaning Grecian; the old British grech or greg, meaning dog; and the past predominance of gray as the breed's color.
  
  
• The hare is the Greyhound's natural quarry.
  
  
• Greyhounds were among the first at American dog shows, and they have an entry of 18 listed in the first Westminster Kennel Club catalog in 1877.
  
  
• Rutherford B. Hayes owned a Greyhound named "Grim."