Page 60 - The Sloughi Review - Issue 9

T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 6 0

After all, one could select every trait and
enrich it in the breed. If one suddenly decided
that all hounds should have brown eyes and

black eye rings, one could select for this trait
and get a pack in which almost all animals
have brown eyes with black rings. The trouble
is that you'd probably get something else in the

process and the animals would have three toes
or something." (Says Huntsman John Holliday
on the basics of keeping a pack) (48).

Finally - the Romans would say: "Conclusio"*

The Sloughi type, which has presented itself
Mongrel, father Galgo español, mother
in the same way over the centuries, less from Sloughi, Northern Algeria 2021 © Abdeljalil
the FCI Standard phenotype in detail (ears,
tail) than from the traditional type, which had However, the Azawakh is perhaps a little
to satisfy different characteristics - guardian closer to the Sloughi than the Galgo

of herds and house, hunter of hare, fox, jackal español is, both historically and
and gazelle - can still claim its right to exist genetically, one could well imagine at
today. least a transitional type in southern
Algeria and Libya.
Starting with the Romans, who were African

Romans, who have left us their eloquent, A Galgo español would be recognised
lively and closely observant mosaics about more quickly from a mating.
their way of hunting and with which dogs
they went hunting, we looked at the But what is particularly valuable in the
historically traceable neighbouring breeds of observation of the Azawakh is that with
the predecessors of the Sloughi, those of the the A.B.I.S. expeditions from the
Azawakh and the Galgo español. beginning of the 1990s onward, a
scientific survey of the (breeding) stock

In the case of the Galgo español, we could see and the conditions on the ground is
that the way of hunting today still bears a brought before us as a kind of model and
great resemblance to the hunting in North stimulus for responsible breeding in
Africa, as we can witness in the mosaics. western countries in the future.

*Editor's note : in Latin.