Saluki Gazelle Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange (AfSaluki World Congress) |
1995 SALUKI WORLD CONGRESS REPORT (Page 3)
Bo Bengston
It sounds like most of you have been involved in dogs for a very long time, so the obvious queslion is:
What changes have you seen during these decades, for better or worse in the Saluki breed? How would it differ now from when you started and what's better, what's worse?
GEORGE BELL
Oh. that is a good question You know ...this breed has not changed. We are very fortunate... dog showing has not changed our breed, they are still able to get out and run like they did a thousand years ago, five lhousand years ago. The vogue used to be for a snipey muzzle on dogs, but other than that muzzle - I think our Salukis still look the same.
Bo Bengtson
George, do you think that the snipier muzles you mentioned are mainly fashion?
GEORGE BELL
I think so. I mean greyhounds were like that. It was just a fashion then, but the rest of the dog looks lhe same.
UTE LENNARTZ
Well, I have not been in the breed as long as all lhe other panelists So whatI think, is that we should always look totlhe old photo's to ensure we don't change the breed they should also have lhe ability to run and hunt and not to be just show dogs. Worldwide, they are moving in the direction of becoming justl show dogs. I am not sure if all of them really can do what they are bred for. We should always look back. I think that's the most important thing.
HOPE WATERS
I have always found that Salukis are the most sporting breed you could get, they don't have to be taught to course. You can take a puppy out into the coursing field for the firsl time, he watches the first course, a little puzzled and by the second course he's dancing in the air He wants to get after the hare. I think they are a wonderful breed because they are wonderful companions, wonderful sporting hounds and beautiful to look at and to live with.
HERB WELLS
Trying to decide what changes have been made in the Saluki is one reason why I got into desert breeds. So over recent years, I have been collecting Middle Eastern dogs and been very interested in them. Here there is quite a variety of types compared to the Middle Eastern dogs: we 'e changed their heads. most of the Middle Eastern dogs have a litle bit of a dish face a bit like the arab horse. More of them have a wider back skull. Talking about snipey noses. some of the Turkish dogs have snipey noses. The Saudi dogs tend lo be taller than they are long or square. The western Saudi dogs are small pretty dogs. Because my main interest is coursing. I found the best way of almost guaranteeing getting a good coursing dog. is to cross an American or an English dog wirh an import from the Middle East. My dog Musty. who you are familiar with was one of those. Durak in England and Gail Goodmans dogs and several other imporls that have been crossed with American dogs have done quite well. From the show stand point. when I started showing, we had more dogs that were elbowing. I think now we have more sound dogs than we used to
VICKY CLARKE
I can't say I have been involved long enough to have watched and seen changes. I feel that one of the reasons I appreciaTe Salukis is because we have such a wide variety of types and our standard allows for interpretation which gives us a wide variety to appreciate. There are so many conscientious breeders who are trying to preserve our athlehcism and the beauty in our breed.
MARIAN ALEXANDER
To some extent. there's much less diversity now than there was. I'm not sure why that is so. l think when many of us came into Ihe breed. in the middle to late sixries. the breed was just beginning on its upward curve to a new level of popularity. You could go to a show and you could see the Billa de Esta's type you could see the Jen Araby type. you could see the Pine Paddocks type. you could see other Iypes. and there was distinct differences between those types. I think what has been achieved now is a level of unitormity. I don't know if that's a bad thing. There is a lot more consistency of type than there used to be.
DARRELL BLACK
When we started in the breed. the breed was dominated by just a very few kennels. Srinagar dominated the west coast. Billa de Esta's was the rest and tht's all you saw. You could definitely pick out a Billa de Esta's dog and you knew that was Eltiste breeding just by looking at it and its a litlle like what we have seen here today. You can pick out that distinguishing feature. Now I don't know if tthat's good or bad. You can start off with a bad dog and make it three generatihons of a bad dog and you can make and distinguish it on Ihe wrong side of the spectrum. So l think we are seeing changes. I think size is changing. I think if we want to try to adhere to the standard, which is vague, size is relatively specific..and we know a lot of the dogs are way over the size. I think heads went through a real bad time and we are starting to turn around again. Billa de Esta's had a head that Herb refers to as a wide back skull, dish face and high ear set. You had the Srinagar head that was quite often very Iow earsets, . very long muzzles, no stops, curved tops and we went into a lot of down faced Salukis. I Ihink that is not an acceptable head. There is stilll some distinction in the kennels. But, I think we are getting more of a blend.
Copyright(c) 1995 Saluki International