Page 49 - Dog
P. 49

Well-feathered tail is long,   Well-muscled legs make the Saluki a powerful runner
        set low, and gently curved                                                   THE ROYAL SALUKI
                                                                     The Saluki is one of the oldest breeds of sight hound (pp. 14–15) in
                                                                     the world, and dogs of this type can be seen in the tomb paintings of
      AWAY TO THE RACES                                              ancient Egyptian pharaohs. For thousands of years Salukis have been
      Although dogs have been used                                   bred by Arab peoples for chasing gazelles and, together with falcons,
      in the Arctic for hundreds                                               for killing large birds, such as vultures.
      of years to draw sleds
      (pp. 56–57), today they
      have been mostly
      replaced by mechanical
      snowmobiles. However,
      within recent years, the
      sport of sled racing over
      long distances with huskies
      has become very popular –
      especially in Alaska.



                      Dense, curly ruff on neck
                                                                            TINTIN AND SNOWY
                                                                             These popular cartoon
                                                                                characters race over the
                                                                                   snow with their trusty
                                                                                       team of huskies.
















                                                                                                          Ankle joint, or
                                                                                                         hock, is high on
                                               Long, wavy, silky
                                             hair is usually white                                        the leg, which
                                              with splotchy dark                                           makes the leg
                                                    markings                                               very long and
                                                                                                             powerful






                                                                                  BEAUTIFUL BOUNDER
                                                                                   The borzoi comes from
                                                                                   Russia and used to be
                                                                                    called the Russian
                                                                                     wolfhound because it
                                                                                      was used by the
                                                                                      aristocracy for hunting and
              THE HARE AND THE DOG                                                     chasing wolves. The
             The use of greyhounds for                                                 borzoi may have been
              hare coursing – pursuing                                                 developed from long-
             game with dogs that follow                                               legged sight hounds
                by sight, not scent – is                                             (pp. 14–15), such as the Saluki, which
              probably one of the most                                             were then crossed with long-haired, local,
                  ancient of all sports.                                        collie-type dogs. They were bred to look as
                                                                              aristocratic and beautiful as possible to match the
                                                                              noble aspirations of the Russian emperors.

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