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There are numerous websites on this beautiful elegant breed. I think I would not want to actually describe how a saluki looks like and how it is supposed to look like. There are many elaborate and detailed websites, which I have allocated at my "links".
I guess I feel the saluki is truly an ancient breed, may it be a smooth or feathered. I have been to the Festival in the UK last year in 2007, and I enjoyed the trip very, very much. I managed to meet so many saluki enthusiasts, fanciers, breeders, judges and handlers. All have their own views, opinions and suggestions on what we call salukis. Unfortunately, there was no participant from the Moslem world, except for naive me. Yes, Hamad Al Ghanem, a Dubai businessman and Saluki breeder, was there but he was not a participant, just a guest I suppose. I am made aware that Hamad possibly knows more about the Arabian tradition of breeding Salukis than anyone. Hamad comes from a well-known and respected Arabian family who have become famous in the region for breeding Salukis. Hamad Al Ghanem’s family have been breeding the Aseel Salukis - the purest breed of Arabian hounds, for over 7 decades. The family tradition of Saluki breeding has been passed from fathers to sons for many generations, and to own one of the exceptional Al Ghanem Salukis is the privilege of the noblest Arabian families, as well as many fortunate people across the globe.
I guess the reason why I have salukis is actually for companionship, a jogging partner, and being a cat person, I love the aloof independent character. I am not the agility trainer and don't expect my salukis to be the typical "Good BOY" doggie! They do take care of my house, but would not say they are superb guard dogs, but they will let us know if someone is outside the house.
I truly and honestly, am not a show person. You can tell me 1001 times how it's supposed to be, the legs the whithers, and whatsoever! I just love them as the way they are. Now I have five, despite all what some old timer saluki enthusiasts or fanciers would want to comment on, I truly love my babes, and I just love them as the way they are. Every SALUKI is definitely not alike.
One thing for sure:
1) THEY DO NOT SMELL! Yes true enough when they breathe into your face after a mega RUN, or after a walk on a hot day, they do smell of dog breath! BUT certainly and definitely NOT like the typical dog odour which is very typical in many breeds. Imagine a wet GSD in a humid room. LOL
2) THEY DO NOT DROOL............................. nope............... not drooly at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Imagine examining a mastiff or a basset hound, jeeeeez when they swing or shake their heads, immediately close your eyes!!!!! I was aware that the saluki boys may drool when the gals are on heat, Santana did when Balqes was on heat. But their saliva is not as mucoid as some breeds, and thank GOD am not allergic to it! I do come down with a rash when handling certain breeds, e.g sharpei, bulldogs. Generally speaking they do not salivate much and I think this could be due to the fact that they are desert animals, conserving fluids more diligently.
3) DRY FAST WHEN WET, so very true as I tend to wash their legs after a walk. I have never used a blow-dryer or a hair-dryer on any of them, even after a thorough wash.
4) DO NOT BARK UNNECESSARILY, I love them for this, they do not bark aimlessly. So far they only bark when it is necessary. So far none of them have high pitched shrieky barks, which I find a rather annoying e.g. Miniature Schnauzers.
5) NON HYPER!!!!!!!! I daresay they go to work with me, all 5, and none are hyper at the counter and would only bark or appear curious or even apprehensive unless there is an outsider entering the Reception without the presence of any staff. OR noisy dogs that are at the waiting area!!!!!!!!!
I have always felt that if Islam came to Southeast Asia via the Silk Route, it would be a different scenario with regards to the canine scene here particularly in Southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and throughout Indonesia.
The local natives here were converted during the 14th to 15th Century via the sea route. Yemenite merchants, Indian Moslem merchants............................................ I doubt there were salukis brought along otherwise it would have made a huge impact to the local Moslems here today. The sea route was not similar to the silk route, the religion has always been the same, but the mode of understanding, the ways of believing may differ.
When the Malay Sultans were converted, the peasants and villagers were converted too, a domino effect. Though I may not be a historian, and from some readings here and there, that was how I had understood. So the major bulk of Moslems here are Sunnis, and follow the ways of the ultra-orthodox Syafiee/Shafiee, where dogs are just considered filth............. najis, and there is no mention of salukis. But people tend to forget about the special verse allocated for this special breed.
There are 4 main school of thoughts in Islam:
Hanafi, Hambali, Syafiee and Maliki. The strictest and the most ultra-orthodox among the four is Syafiee of which most Moslems in the Malay Archipelago follow.
It has been made clear that in the Noble Quran that hounds are permitted for use in hunting:
( Surah Al-Maidah 5. Part 6 Verse 4 ) :-
“They ask you (O Mohammed) what is lawful for them (as food ). Say: lawful unto you are At-Tayyibat {all kinds of halal (lawful-good) foods which Allah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals ,milk products ,fats, vegetables and fruits ) }. And those beasts and birds of prey which you have trained as hounds, training and teaching them (to catch) in the manner as directed to you by Allah; so eat of what they catch for you, but pronounce the name of Allah over it, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is swift in reckoning’’.
The breed has always been there, before the spread of Islam. The Romans must have brought the saluki back to Europe, and perhaps that's how you have other sighthounds cropping out, like greyhounds, whippets, Irish Wolfhounds and the Scottish Deerhound, but this is just a personal opinion. I may be stoned by some purist greyhound breeder, LOL!
Despite the events of selective breeding taking to its effect continuously with humans deciding what is what and what they fancy looking at, the qualities they are seeking out/for: I strongly and personally feel that whether it is a saluki, sloughi, azawakh, tazi, afghan hound, with differences in mitochondrial DNA, etc, etc, I think the religion, Islam did more or less protect this breed for the past 1400 years. With the event of European colonisation, with the coming of Kennel Clubs, they then decide on how a "show" dog would look like, how a saluki and a sloughi would differ, and how an azawakh and a sloughi would be dissimilar. With modern technology today, where differences can be detected up to the molecular level.
Okay so salukis in Malaysia??????? I have 5, Karen Palko has 2, so far to-date, there are 7 in Malaysia. Prior to 1995, according to MKA's list of dog registrations, there were supposed to have two people with salukis, but unfortunately they are no longer in contact. And perhaps those salukis are long gone by now. They may be expatriates with salukis, but none are registered with MKA except for mine.
Even earlier than this, Don Wieden who has been in Salukis over 40 years, with the prefix Sedeki. He had exported the first smooth Salukis into Scandinavia in 1968 and the very first Saluki into Malaysia. He has exports to all the major countries of the world.
I wonder who was the owner of that beautiful Saluki(s).
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