Italian Greyhound

AKC Group: Toy

Club: Italian Greyhound Club of America, Inc.

Corresponding Secretary : Lilian Barber
Address: 35648 Menifee Rd, Murrieta, CA , 92563-2356
Website: www.italiangreyhound.org
Email: iggylil@earthlink.net
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

The Italian Greyhound is very similar to the Greyhound, but much smaller and more slender in all proportions and of ideal elegance and grace.

Size:

Height at withers, ideally 13 inches to 15 inches.

Coat:

Skin fine and supple, hair short, glossy like satin and soft to the touch.

History:

As with many ancient breeds it is their depiction in art and architecture that gives insight into their origin. Miniature greyhounds appear in ancient decorative arts of the Mediterranean countries dating back 2000 years. It was during the sixteenth century when this diminutive gazehound was highly sought by Italians and Southern Europeans that it acquired the name Italian Greyhound. The breed made their way to England in the seventeenth century steadily gaining in popularity.

An Italian Greyhound was registered for the first time with the American Kennel Club in 1886. Following World War I when the breed was in danger of extinction in Great Britain, fresh stock was imported from the United States, giving evidence of the high quality to be found in America at that time. The Italian Greyhound Club of America was founded in 1954.

The Italian Greyhound is a true greyhound, his small size the result of selective breeding. There is debate as to whether he was originally bred for hunting small game or was meant to be simply a companion. In all likelihood, both are true, as he is adaptable to city and country life.

Interesting Facts:

• The Italian Greyhound is the smallest of the family of Gazehounds (sighthounds).
  
  
• The Italian Greyhound is believed to have originated more than 2000 years ago in the Mediterranean basin, possibly in the countries now known as Greece & Turkey.
  
  
• The Italian Greyhound was a favorite of the Italians of the 16th century with whom miniature dogs were much in demand.
  
  
• The Italian Greyhound was frequently included in Renaissance paintings by such famed artists as Giotto, Carpaccio, Memling, Van der Weyden, David, and Bosch.
  
  
• Favorite of various royal families, including the consort of England's James I, Anne of Denmark; Mary Beatrice d'Este of Modena, the Italian consort of James II; Frederick the Great of Prussia; Catherine the Great of Russia, and Queen Victoria.
  
  
• The first volume of the English Kennel Club's Stud Book listed 40 of the breed; Volume III of the AKC Stud Book (1886) contains the first Italian Greyhound registration in this country, although it was not until 1950 that as many as 50 were registered in this country.
  
  
• President John Tyler bought his wife an Italian Greyhound named "Le Beau."