Background
The history of the Greyhound covers a span of
some 4000 years. The Greyhound is one of the most
ancient of breeds as it is seen in artistry, pottery,
literature, and found in the hieroglyphs of the ancient
pyramids (even the mummified remains of this noble
breed have been found with that of their owners). One
source states that dogs that were very similar to
today's Greyhound, that is, a hunting dog with a long,
slender body, appear in temple drawings in the city of
Catal-Huyuk in Turkey that date back from 6000 B.C. The
Greyhound is also the only breed of dog specifically
mentioned by name in the Bible (Proverbs 30:29-31).
There are old written breeding records found of the
"English Greyhound" that date prior to 1770. However,
the oldest written records date back to around 2500
B.C. that were kept by the Egyptians.
The Greyhound is considered a sight hound, that is a
hunting dog that relies on its sight to find and pursue
game over open country. This pursuit in open country is
referred to as coursing.
The physical attributes and the speed of the Greyhound
has been admired by cultures down through the ages,
from the Egyptians and the Greeks, to Persia and the
civilizations of the Middle East and beyond. These dogs
were used for racing and for the pursuit of small to
medium-sized game, such as fox, hare, coyote, etc.
The Greyhound in England was so valued that the Forest
Laws were enacted in 1014 by King Canute, stating that
this hunting dog could by owned only by the nobility.
Even Greyhound racing could be enjoyed only by those of
high birth, the commoner couldn't possibly appreciate
this noble beast.
The Greyhound was introduced in the 1800's to the
United States for the purpose of controlling the
jackrabbit population. This prey certainly showed off
the Greyhound's ability as a hunter-courser. One thing
led to another, and farmers started to compete their
dogs against each other, and racing came into
popularity. It was in 1912 that a mechanical lure was
invented to allow for racing on an oval track. The rest
is racing history.
When track racing was introduced early in the 20th
century, a division occurred between those people who
would show their dogs in the ring, and those who bred
their dogs for racing and coursing. Studbooks were kept
separated between the racers and the show dogs. This is
because the temperament and strengths that were
important to the racer, were not the same for the dog
in conformation. Same dog, slightly different
standards.
Today, in the United States, racing Greyhounds are not
permitted to show in conformation under A.K.C. rules,
however, they can participate in obedience, tracking,
agility and lure-coursing. This is known as an I.L.P.,
or Indefinite Listing Privilege, in the A.K.C.
There are many dog registry associations worldwide that
specialize in registering dogs for either racing or
conformation.
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