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The history of the Greyhound
covers a span of some 4000 years. The Greyhound is one of the most ancient of
breeds as it is seen in artistry, pottery, literature, and found in the
hieroglyphs of the ancient pyramids (even the mummified remains of this noble
breed have been found with that of their owners). One source states that dogs
that were very similar to today's Greyhound, that is, a hunting dog with a long,
slender body, appear in temple drawings in the city of Catal-Huyuk in Turkey
that date back from 6000 B.C. The Greyhound is also the only breed of dog
specifically mentioned by name in the Bible (Proverbs 30:29-31). There are
old written breeding records found of the "English Greyhound" that date prior to
1770. However, the oldest written records date back to around 2500 B.C. that
were kept by the Egyptians.
The Greyhound is considered a sight hound,
that is a hunting dog that relies on its sight to find and pursue game over open
country. This pursuit in open country is referred to as coursing.
The physical attributes and the speed of the
Greyhound has been admired by cultures down through the ages, from the Egyptians
and the Greeks, to Persia and the civilizations of the Middle East and
beyond. These dogs were used for racing and for the pursuit of small to
medium-sized game, such as fox, hare, coyote, etc.
The Greyhound in England was so valued that the
Forest Laws were enacted in 1014 by King Canute, stating that this hunting dog
could by owned only by the nobility. Even Greyhound racing could be
enjoyed only by those of high birth, the commoner couldn't possibly appreciate
this noble beast.
The Greyhound was introduced in the 1800's to the United States for
the purpose of controlling the jackrabbit population. This prey
certainly showed off the Greyhound's ability as a hunter-courser. One
thing led to another, and farmers started to compete their dogs against
each other, and racing came into popularity. It was in 1912 that a
mechanical lure was invented to allow for racing on an oval track. The
rest is racing history.
When track racing was introduced early in the 20th century, a
division occurred between those people who would show their dogs in the
ring, and those who bred their dogs for racing and coursing. Studbooks
were kept separated between the racers and the show dogs. This is
because the temperament and strengths that were important to the racer,
were not the same for the dog in conformation. Same dog, slightly
different standards.
Today, in the United States, racing Greyhounds are not permitted to
show in conformation under A.K.C. rules, however, they can participate
in obedience, tracking, agility and lure-coursing. This is known as an
I.L.P., or Indefinite Listing Privilege, in the A.K.C.
There are several dog registry associations that specialize in
registering dogs for either racing or conformation. These are:
The Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) classifies the
Greyhound as a Coursing Hound in Group 10.
The American
Kennel Club has recognized the Greyhound since 1885, and it is classed in the
Hound Group
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