GREYHOUND HISTORY
The connection between man and his closest animal friend, the dog, has existed for centuries. Bone fragments found in archaeological digs of Cro-Magnon sites depicted the primitive man shared his home with dogs.
On the banks of the Indus River in Pakistan, archaeologists digging on a 2500 B.C. site found a sun-dried clay plate depicting prints of a cat; overlapping these are the prints of a dog. The plate is estimated to more than 4,000 years old.
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Egyptian Anibus sculpture |
Paintings of dogs that are the forerunners of today's greyhounds were etched on the walls of tombs of Egyptian pharaohs more than 3,000 years ago, making this one of the oldest breeds. Among the images of the gods, farmers and fishermen are representations of the pharaohs, hunting by chariots and closely followed by dogs resembling today's greyhounds and salukis.
The greyhound, in fact, is the only breed mentioned anywhere in the Bible (Proverbs 30:29-31). The greyhound’s aristocratic connections extend well into the Middle Ages and were prominent in paintings and literature associated with the Vikings, Normans and English nobility of the time.
The greyhound's link with the royalty of ancient Egypt is as impressive for its time as a who’s who of rulers of the day: Tutankhamen, Amenhotep, Thutmose, Queen Hatshepsut and Cleopatra are all known to have had greyhound like dogs of their own.
History littered with greyhound lore
In ancient Arabian culture, the birth of a site hound litter (more likely the saluki) was considered only slightly less important than the birth of the owner's son. The greyhound was the only dog allowed into the tents and allowed to ride atop their camels.
Other famous names known to have had a liking for the greyhound include Odysseus, who, after being away from home for 20 years, was recognized only by his faithful hound, Argus. Not bad for a dog over 20 years old. The story goes on to say that Argus dropped dead shortly thereafter.
Diana, the huntress of Roman lore was believed to be appreciative of the sight hound. One story tells of her gift of a greyhound named Lelaps to her friend Procris. Lelaps chased a hare favored by the gods who promptly turned Lelaps and the hare into stone. This event was memorialized with statues celebrating the event even to this day.
After the Romans conquered Britain, they introduced the sport of coursing, in which dogs chased a live animal in an open field. The sport was already popular among the Celts living in Europe at the time of the Roman invasion.
The greyhound's royal connections continued through the Middle Ages and they were popular with such historical rulers as King Canute of England and King Howel of Wales.
At the time of the Norman invasion, the greyhound was a favorite among the aristocracy, who banned commoners from owning the dogs. Despite the ban, ordinary folk of the day bred the dogs anyway, but with much greater color variation in their coats. The brindle was a favorite, as it made the dogs more difficult to spot when they hunted on lands from which they had been banned.
Still, the greyhound's reputation was untarnished among the ruling classes. Lords and gentlemen had their tombs designed with the effigy of a greyhound, waiting at the feet of its beloved master.
Origin of “greyhound”
The true origin of the name "greyhound" is lost in antiquity. The breed's modern English name has been traced back to the Middle English "greihound," which it is believed originated in the Icelandic "greyhundr" by way of the old English name "grighund.” Since the people of Iceland are descended from the Norse, the Vikings were aware of the greyhound's hunting prowess and accepted the breed as part of their life.
Even hundreds of years after the Norman invasion, the greyhound's popularity among the nobility never faltered, and the breed is mentioned in the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare.
The greyhound is an exceptional hunting dog because of its speed and vision. Unlike most hunting dogs, the greyhound doesn't have an acute sense of smell. Instead of scenting its quarry, this breed tends to chase moving objects, which it can spot at long distances; it can attain speeds up to 45 miles an hour in its pursuit.
The sport of coursing really was the precursor to greyhound racing. Scenes of what appear to be coursing have been found on Egyptian tombs dating back to before 2500 B.C. and the dogs depicted look much like modern greyhounds.
Originally, coursing was a sport that exhibited a dog's skill in sighting and catching a game animal. During the 16th century, it became a competitive sport, with two dogs matched against one another in a race for the game. The owners of the dogs usually had bets on the result, and, at some coursing races, spectators also wagered on one dog or the other.
The first official coursing meet was held in 1776 at Swaffham, Norfolk, England. The rules of the Swaffham Coursing Society specified that only two greyhounds were to course a single hare and that the hare was to be given a head start of 240 yards.
In 1837, the Waterloo Cup Meet was established as a coursing tournament for greyhounds, and it has run annually ever since then. During the late 19th century, the event drew crowds of up to 75,000.
Greyhound racing with an artificial lure was introduced at Hendon, England, in 1876. According to a newspaper account of the day, six dogs raced over a 400-yard straight course chasing an artificial hare riding on "an apparatus like a skate on wheels." Dubbed "coursing by proxy," the race drew little interest, and the idea was abandoned.
Nonetheless, it was revived 31 years later in the United States.
Charles A. Munn, an American businessman, made a deal in 1925 with Owen Partick Smith and George Sawyer for exclusive rights to use the artificial lure in Great Britain. Munn, with several English backers, formed the English Greyhound Racing Association in 1926.
Besides Great Britain, greyhound racing also is popular in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. Other countries that have smaller greyhound racing venues are Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Vietnam.
Information for this page came from the American Greyhound Council.
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