Afghan Hounds

The Afghan belongs to dogdom's aristocracy, shows it in bearing, proves it in recorded history. He is dignified and aloof. He has an exotic, "Eastern" expression. His legs are so heavily feathered he looks as though he were wearing cowboy “chaps.” 

His coat is of thick, silky hair, he bears a crowning topknot and his hips are higher and wider apart than in the ordinary dog. His tail is carried proudly high and has a ring or loop at the end.

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The description of the modern Afghan would be equally applicable to the dog of 5,000 years ago. Backing it are ancient carvings and a papyrus dating between 4,000 and 3,000 B.C. referring to his as the “cynocephalus,” a baboon or “monkey-faced hound,” at Jebel Musa or Mountain Moses in Sinai, at the time a part of Egypt. 

The name is derived from Afghanistan, where he may acquired the coat that could withstand extremes of heat and cold and a characteristic galloping gait that could overcome obstacles with ease and speed. The breed was not confined to Afghanistan, however, but was known in other ancient lands. In the the breed was a guardian of sheep and cattle, a hunter of gazelle, rabbits and deer, and an opponent for animals as formidable as the leopard.

The first British show appearance was in 1907 and the Afghan became popular in England soon thereafter. The American introduction was in the late 1930s. The striking appearance brought immediate attention, but popularity awaited later date. Now there are several kennels devoted primarily to the Afghan and the breed is cutting an increasingly important figure on the American bench scene. 

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