Dog Breed Guide

Saluki

Profile

Size

Large

Country of origin

Middle East

Origin

Ancient

Bred for

Hunting gazelle and hare

Height

58 - 71cm (23 - 28in)

Weight

18 - 27kg (40 - 60lb)

Life span

12 - 14 years

An elegant sighthound (a hound that hunts by sight) with long, slender legs, a sleek body and a long neck. There are two types: "feathered," with silky fringes on the ears, tail and backs of the legs, and "smooth," without them. It comes in many colors, including cream, fawn, gold, red, white, and black and tan.

Calm, dignified and quiet, the Saluki shows deep affection for its family but is independent and does not much like being fussed over. It is reserved with strangers.

Its instinct to chase prey once it spots it is extremely strong, so it should never be let off the leash except in a securely fenced area. It cannot match the Greyhound over a short sprint, but over long distances it is said to keep running even faster.

Good to know

It is considered one of the oldest breeds in the world, and images resembling it have been found at sites at least 5,000 years old. In ancient Egypt it was loved by royalty and nobility, and because dogs that died were mummified and buried just like the pharaohs, it is also called "the royal dog of Egypt."

The Bedouin, nomads of the Middle Eastern deserts, generally considered dogs unclean, but they treated the Saluki as special, calling it "el hor" (the noble one) and treasuring it as a gift from God. It was allowed inside the tents and was said to be bred as carefully as Arabian horses. It was also used in hunts for gazelle, working together with falcons.

The 1996 edition of the Guinness Book of Records featured a Saluki clocked at 68.8km/h (42.8mph) as "the fastest dog in the world."