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Afghan Hound

Afghan Hound
Afghane.jpg
Afghan Hound, fully coated
Other names
Tazi, Tazhi Spay, Da Kochyano Spay, Sage Balochi, Ogar Afgan, Barakzai Hound, Eastern Greyhound/Persian Greyhound
Origin
Afghanistan
Classification / standards
FCI Group 10, Section 1 Long-haired or fringed Sighthounds #228 standard
AKC Hound standard
ANKC Group 4 – (Hounds) standard
CKC Group 2 – (Hounds) standard
KC (UK) Hound standard
NZKC Hounds standard
UKC Sighthound & Pariah standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
Classification / standards
FCI Group 10, Section 1 Long-haired or fringed Sighthounds #228 standard
AKC Hound standard
ANKC Group 4 – (Hounds) standard
CKC Group 2 – (Hounds) standard
KC (UK) Hound standard
NZKC Hounds standard
UKC Sighthound & Pariah standard

The Afghan Hound is a hound that is distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat and its tail with a ring curl at the end. The breed was selectively bred for its unique features in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Its local name is Tāžī Spay (Pashto: تاژي سپی‎) or Sag-e Tāzī (Dari Persian: سگ تازی). Other names for this breed are Kuchi Hound, Tāzī, Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, Barakzai Hound, Shalgar Hound, Kabul Hound, Galanday Hound or sometimes incorrectly African Hound.

The Afghan Hound has been identified as a basal breed that predates the emergence of the modern breeds in the 19th Century. It is most closely related to the Saluki.

Today's modern purebred breed of Afghan Hound descends from dogs brought to Great Britain in the 1920s which King Amanullah of the Afghan Royal Family gave away as gifts. Some had been kept as hunting dogs, others as guardians.

Although the breed is demonstrably ancient, verifiable written or visual records that tie today's Afghan Hound breed to specific Afghan owners or places are absent. There is much speculation about the breeds origin and possible connections with the ancient world among fanciers and in non-scientific breed books and breed websites. Connections with other types and breeds from the same area may provide clues to the history. A name for a desert coursing Afghan hound, Tazi (sag-e-tazi), suggests a shared ancestry with the very similar Tasy breed from the Caspian Sea area of Russia and Turkmenistan. Other types or breeds of similar appearance are the Taigan from the mountainous Tian Shan region on the Chinese border of Afghanistan, and the Barakzay, or Kurram Valley Hound.


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Wikipedia

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