Sporting Dogs

The Basenji. "Swift as a ray of light, graceful as a swallow, and wise as Solomon" is this lean and leggy hound whose fame was "first written on the hot sands of Egypt".

The Pharaohs maintained great kennels for royal sport. One of the breed's earliest pictorial records, discovered in a 5,000-year-old tomb, depicts dogs of Greyhound type running down a deerlike prey. Through Persia, Greece, Rome, Northern Europe - Greyhounds followed history's course. In modern times it has been used to overtake deer, foxes and hares. The speediest of all dogs it is now used extensively for racing, a sport nearly one hundred years old, in which Greyhounds, sprung from a starting gate much like those used for horse races, chase a mechanical rabbit for fun, fame, and sometimes fortune for their owners. Medium-sized (30-32 inches tall), this dog with a smooth, short coat of any colour is high-strung and not very affectionate.

The Borzoi. Perhaps the most spectacular workman of all coursing dogs is the handsome Borzoi. These fleet and tenacious dogs are trained not to kill the wolf but rather to pin him by the throat and hold him until the hunter can come up and either dispatch the beast or capture him alive. Usually two or three are run at a single wolf. Loping up alongside, one is to collar the beast with a quick bite just under the ear and hang on while his running mate finds a similar hold on the other side. Together they hold the wolf powerless until the deadly jaws can be tied shut. We can better appreciate the strength and tenacity required for this feat of the Borzois when we remember that a wolf is so strong in the neck he can toss a sheep over his back as easily as a fox can carry off a chicken. Nowadays, of course, most Russian Wolfhounds live and die without ever seeing a wolf. Built on the lines of the Greyhound, they are bigger and more powerful all through, and their formation should indicate speed, strength, and symmetry. The appearance is greatly enchanced by the long silky coat, which is either flat, wavy or rather curly. Colours white, or white with fawn, brindle, red or grey markings. The head is extraordinarily long and lean, with a flat narrow skull, and in profile it appears somewhat Roman nosed. Ears small and thin, placed far back on the head. Chest very deep and somewhat narrow; back much arched and rather bony. Powerful loins with well developed muscles; thighs long, stifles slightly bent and hocks set fairly low. The well-feathered tail is not carried gaily. The height of the dog should be about 29 inches at the shoulders.