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HISTORY OF GREYHOUNDS: Part 1

© Judy A Tomlinson

When thinking about the history of the Greyhound, one needs to think in terms of the Greyhound family. People may tell you that this or that breed is the oldest, the truth is no one knows for sure. However, what we do know is that the earliest pure-bred dogs were of the Greyhound-type. . The Greyhound family has many characteristics in common: the long legs, long narrow head, a deep chest and the ability to hunt by sight rather than by scent as most dogs do. When this type of dog moved to different parts of the world, some of his traits, such as length of his coat and shape of his ears, began to change to accommodate the conditions of his new environment.

The first sightings of the long, lean dogs of the Greyhound type were seen in what is now southwest Turkey. Temple drawings, dating to 6000 B.C., show a hunter chasing a stag with the aid of two Greyhound-types.

It was in Egypt that the Greyhound really came into his own. Not only were they companions, but they were practically worshipped. The Greyhounds were cherished so much that a birth of one was second in importance only to the birth of a human boy. When a pet Greyhound died the entire family mourned by shaving their heads, fasting and crying. When Greyhounds died, they were buried, mummified, and placed in the tomb of their owner. Often the tombs were decorated with figures of favorite Greyhounds.

The Greyhound is the only breed of dog mentioned in the Bible. Proverbs 30:29-31 (according to some translations from the Hebrew) call the Greyhound one of four things "comely in going".

When explorers from Greece traveled to Egypt, they were fascinated by the Greyhounds, and took several back with them. The first dog mentioned in literature, in 800 B.C. was, you guessed it, the Greyhound! In the Odyssey, Homer told about the return of Odysseus, who had been gone for 20 years. The only one who recognized him was his Greyhound. Greek mythological figures were often portrayed with Greyhounds. Hecate, goddess of wealth, is often shown with a Greyhound. The same is true for Pollux, protector of the hunt. In the story of Actaeon and Artemis, the goddess takes revenge on Actaeon by turning him into a stag and setting her 48 Greyhounds on him!

The ancient Romans also had an appreciation of the Greyhound. Their Gods and Goddesses, also were shown with Greyhounds. One famous story relates that Diana, goddess of the hunt, gave her best friend, Procris, a Greyhound named Leiaps. Leiaps and a hunter went into the woods looking for prey, when the hound saw a hare, he took off after it. Of course, the Gods were watching and not wanting the hare to be killed, turned both Leiaps and the hare into stone. You can often see this scene when looking at Roman art. The ancient Romans loved to run their Greyhounds. These were bloodthirsty times, but one man, Arrian, showed a trace of mercy. In A.D. 124, he wrote a treatise called "On Hunting Hares." He asked the readers to concentrate more on the sport and less on the gore. He stated "The true sportsman does not take out his dogs to destroy the hares, but for the sake of the course and the contest between the dogs and the hares, and is glad if the hares escape."

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