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SALUKI (GAZELLE HOUND) BREED NOTES

SALUKI NOTES WEEK ENDING 26th January 2001

Following up from the Breed Notes of a couple of weeks ago I would like to congratulate Deborah Copperthwaite and more especially, her dog, Min Arabi Laziz Al Caliphs (Imp), on winning the Eukanuba, Top Sire award. This dog was imported by Deborah and has a Swedish mother and a German father. It is interesting watching our new imports integrating with our foundation stock and seeing the progress of their progeny. We were advised, at that time, that Ch Kasaque Eve was joint Top Hound Brood Bitch. We now learn this was not the case, although Eve is still Top Brood Bitch, Saluki.

Television seems to be going mad on the subjects of Makeovers, Gardening, Cooking and Rescuing Animals. A couple of weeks ago, just before Christmas, there was a program called “Vets In Practice”. The young Norwegian veterinarian, whose whole life is exposed to the world (this is a very popular program, I am told worldwide) had decided to adopt a small puppy that was part of a litter that was abandoned at the clinic. The vet fell instantly in love with this cuddly puppy of unknown origin and was going to take it to Norway as a gift for her parents. About four days later, the poor puppy became ill. Recognizing the symptoms displayed, the young vet put the puppy on a drip as he had Parvovirus. Despite all the effort and the early recognition of symptoms, the puppy died. It was a very sad moment. Determined to find a puppy for her parents, the vet decided she would purchase for her family a Border Terrier from a reputable breeder. A hard learnt lesson but more often than not going to a breeder with full knowledge of the breed and the line, provides the best prospect.

I think the Salukis population, in the UK, has an issue which requires some consideration. There are quite a lot of Salukis that are being bred, some registered with The Kennel Club and some not, that currently finding acceptable homes, has becoming quite difficult. Television programs on rescuing animals have made us all feel guilty about going out and buying a puppy from a breeder…when there are homeless dogs needing somewhere to go. However, individuals should think twice before taking on a pet and think three or four times before taking on a rescue. Why did they come into rescue? There could be either physical or psychological reasons why that dog has been picked up as homeless. Also there should be some consideration given to “breeders”, the people that have spent years making sure their dogs are healthy, well socialized, inoculated against diseases and are usually available to help when a problem arises. Rosemary Redfern told us that when she was first looking to acquire a puppy or a rescue dog, she spoke to Mrs. McLeish, the then Secretary of the Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club and was advised that it was preferable to buy a puppy, as the background was known and it would be more likely that a puppy would more easily integrate itself into her family. The principle of taking on rescue dogs is a caring one but not the only factor when making a decision about a dog that will, hopefully, be with us, for ten to fifteen years. We would be happy to receive your thoughts on this topic.

Michael Williams (cmhwilliams@hotmail.com)

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