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Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange
(Afghan Hound Debate- preserve the original Afghan Hound?)AFGHAN HOUND DEBATE
Response 005
Date: 28 Jan 1997
From:AHDBIE Research (101451.505@compuserve.com)
To: Jhickie
The following extract is taken from an interview with Herb and Anita Wells (Tallahamra Salukis) published in the Jan/Feb 1982 edition of "The Sighthound" (not to be confused with the Sightound Review, a later publication) and is reproduced here with permission of the Publisher of "The Sighthound" - Sara Whittington. Herb Wells started with Afghans in 1957 before moving into Saluki's. Herb Wells had a CD Afghan out of Coaswind Patchouli and also a very pretty bitch he describes as "a cup and saucer short of a full set of dishes". He also owned Crown Crest Apache Belle bred by Kay Finch.
Sighthound Q: What areyou trying to do with your breeding program with the Arab Dogs?
Herb A: What we're trying to do is to breed Saudi Arab dogs. There are Salukis from all parts of the Middle East but I like the Saudi type and feel like they may be more like the original Salukis. Theyre small cream or sandy coloured dogs, fine boned, and we are trying to breed the type of dogs that we feel Salukis originally were before we bred them in the US. There were size increases, and we bred them to win in the shows, and not how the Arabs did for 8,000 years.
Anita A: Without trying to "improve" the breed.
Herb A: Yes. We're trying to preserve, not improve, the breed. Most of the old breeds I've seen people try to improve have ended up being ruined. The Afghan Hound is a case in point.
I think people have improved too much. You now have a long-headed hair-growing machine, unlike the original Afghan with a little wider head and a little more stop, a natural saddle and a nice curl on the tail. I think thats one breed that may have been improved too much. Afghans are very different when I got my first one in 1957. They were springy-bouncy. You'd go out in the woods and they'd lose the game and bounce around. They'd look like a spring looking for it. Visitors would come to the door, and they'd jkump straight up and down, and in THOSE days could kill jack rabbits. I've not seen an Afghan Hound in a long time that could catch jack rabbits.
Ed: The article continues with a disussion about hunting and running down rabbits etc and then concludes the preserve/develop theme with the following comments from Anita.
Anita A: I don't like to see non-functional Sighthounds. Theyre hunting running dogs, and thats what they should be. Regardless of what they do in the show ring, they should be able to function in the field. In order for our dogs to be bred, they must prove ability in open field. I dont care how many other titles they have. THEY HAVE TO FUNCTION OR WE ARE NOT GOING TO BREED THEM.
(end of extract). From AHDBIE Research. (101451.505@compuserve.com)