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it is a Saluki.


Thanks, Barta... that was my question also. Beautiful dog! And now that I know the breed, I could find some info to share:

The Saluki, royal dog of Egypt, is perhaps the oldest known breed of domesticated dog, identified by some historians as "a distinct breed and type as long ago as 329 B.C. when Alexander the Great invaded India."

· Salukis were widespread and appeared in Egypt where they were held in such great esteem that its body was often mummified like the bodies of the Pharaohs themselves.

from American Kennel Club - Saluki.

There is also an interesting site at The Saluki: History and Origins, which talks about the development of the breed over the centuries, and says: "... the preservers of the breed are the Arab peoples living in the deserts which have been the cradle of so many civilizations. They have, out of necessity produced two creatures of beauty by careful pedigree breeding almost since the beginning of recorded time. These are the Arabian Horse, for transport and war, and the hound for providing food. Long before guns were invented, the true desert Arab bred the Saluki with the same care he gave to the breeding of his horses, valueing swiftness and beauty in horse and hound alike."

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shame.gif" alt="" /> sorry... didn't mean to ramble on like this...

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