Italian Greyhound

COUNTRY: Italy
WEIGHT: Two varieties—8 pounds maximum; over 8 pounds
HEIGHT: 13-15 inches
COAT: Short, smooth
COLOR: All shades of fawn, red, mouse, blue, cream and white; black/tan not allowed
OTHER NAMES: Piccoli Levrieri Italiani
REGISTRY: FCI, ARC, TKC, CKC
GROUP: Southern

Evidence of miniature Greyhounds was found in the tombs of Egypt, but this exquisite version of its larger counterpart was bred to perfection during Roman times in Italy. Like many of the toy varieties, the little Italian was not bred to serve his masters in any way but as a lap dog. In fact, the miniature Greyhound may well be the first breed bred exclusively as a pet. Some believe that the Latin motto, cave canem (beware the dog), did not warn guests of the tough mastiff kept as a guard, but instead asked them to be careful not to harm the tiny Italian Greyhound.

The Italian Greyhound was fancied by the ladies of the court, quickly winning the hearts of Mary Queen of Scots and Anne of Denmark. King Lobengula, chief of a 19th-century Mata-bele tribe, was so entranced by their prancing movement he gave a breeder 200 head of cattle for one Italian Greyhound! Frederick the Great succumbed to their charms, as did countless others. The king carried his favorite pet with him, even into battle. It is said during the Seven Years' War that Frederick found it necessary to hide from the enemy under a bridge. If the dog had barked a warning or whined in fear, Frederick and Prussia would have met an early and tragic fate. But the dog hugged his master in silence.

During the 19th century, miniaturization of the breed was carried to grotesque extremes in Europe and Britain. The pathetic results were often sterile. Fortunately, by 1900, good sense again reigned. Although the two World Wars dealt harshly with the breed in Europe, good stock abounded in Canada and the USA to export, replenish and rejuvenate the Italian Greyhound.

Their current devotees sing praises of their easy care, their cleanliness, their quiet behavior. Owners are warned, however, to take care that they are not chilled. They definitely are house dogs, not candidates for kennels or cold outdoor living. Unlike most of the sighthounds, their size lets them receive plenty of exercise by following their people around the house. Their quiet demeanor invites gentle care.

GREYHOUND

COUNTRY: Great Britain

WEIGHT: 60-70 pounds

HEIGHT: 27-30 inches

COAT: Short, smooth

COLOR: Any color

Group: Southern

Edward, Duke of York, described the Greyhound in The Master of Game as "shuldres as a roe buck; the for legges stregth and grete ynow, and nought to hind legges; the feet straight and round as a catte, and great cleas, the boones and joyntes of the cheyne grete and hard as the cheyne of an hert; the thighs great and squarred as an hare, the houghs streight, and not crompy-ing as an oxe.

This "duke's" mixture portrayed the sleek, muscled and racy Greyhound, admired for its speed for thousands of years. Tombs of Egypt from the Fourth dynasty, between 4000 and 3500 BC, show drawings of dogs similar to Greyhounds and Salukis, making it obvious that dogs of this type were much esteemed during this era. During the ensuing centuries, Greyhounds proved to be in great demand as an item of barter, and spread through the Near East and Europe. They were developed to standard in England, where they became a status symbol. A Welsh proverb states, "You may know a gentlemen by his horse, his hawk and his greyhound." The source of the Greyhound name is accredited to various plausibilities: from as simple an explanation as the breed's early colors or the Latin word gradus, i.e., swiftness; to the Old English grech or greg meaning dog; or a corruption of "gazehound" or "great hound."

The dog was a favorite of English nobility, who limited ownership by the common folk under the Laws of Canute formulated in 1016: "No mean person may keepe any greyhounds, but freemen may keepe greyhounds so that their knees be cut before the verderors of the forest, and without cutting of their knees also, if he does abide 10 miles from the bounds of the forest." In wide flat expanses, a hunter was handicapped—no brushy forest to conceal the human presence or to hamper the animal as it attempted to bolt. With its powerful eyesight and great speed enabling him to overtake the quarry, the Greyhound proved an invaluable aid. One of them, "Bang" by name, jumped an astounding 30 feet while coursing a hare.

When dogs became more than a means to a full cooking pot, the Greyhound excelled in coursing, and later track racing, hitting a speed of nearly 45]/2 mph, maintaining its reputation as the fastest dog on earth. Only the cheetah tops him for speed in the animal world. His track abilities have given him an advantage over all other breeds. The racing Greyhound is the only recognized breed in America not afflicted with the curse of hip dysplasia. Several Greyhounds made their fame and their masters' fortune on the track, some winning as much as $50,000 during their racing peak. The sale of one dog, "Indian Joe,1' copped the biggest price in dogdom: $72,000.

"In 1867 a shiftless tenant of an Irish nobleman was sleeping off the effects of a drunken spree on the banks of a stream running through the estate when he heard muffled cries coming from a sack caught on the root of a rotting stump. Staggering to the stream's edge the tenant drew from the water a half-drowned Greyhound puppy. When grown this puppy ... became the most famous of all racing greyhounds—Master McGrath . . . defeated but once in his entire racing career, and then only because he fell through the ice of a frozen stream during a course." Modern Greyhounds make gentle, well-behaved, graceful pets, elegant show dogs or thrilling competitors. They are affectionate with their families and, like many sighthounds, aloof with strangers. An interesting piece of trivia is that a Greyhound named "Low Pressure" has the distinction of being the most prolific dog. During his eight-year breeding span, he sired 2,414 registered pups, with another 600 unregistered!