Page 130 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW Issue 15
P. 130

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        4. Dr. Burchard's comments under 6. lack a detailed knowledge of the European situation. In
        the last 20 years, Salukis have frequently been imported from the Middle East countries,
        which have indeed contributed to improving the character of the breed. These imports may
        not always have looked like "champions", but they were dogs that conformed perfectly to the
        FCI standard "Saluki"!
        In our experience, the threats to the continued existence of the Oriental sighthound
        breeds feared by Dr. Burchard do not exist, especially as they have a substitute for hunting on
        the race courses and lure coursing and the clever breeders appreciate the qualities and
        performance shown here.
        In any case, it would be an unjustifiable threat to the Salukis and Sloughis bred in Europe
        to allow mixed types (in the sense of the two standards) for breeding. Between 1970 and 1985,
        almost 600 Sloughis were registered in the DWZRV stud book in the Federal Republic of
        Germany alone.
        The standard type has largely been achieved, and character and performance have reached a

        remarkably high level. The "Sloughi" breed thus has a sufficiently broad breeding base,
        created by clever breeders on the basis of imports from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. There
        is no need for any "refreshments" from Egypt or Saudi Arabia. The threat to the breed posed
        by imports from areas in which the "mixed type" dominates has led to the Federal Republic of
        Germany, not recognising Saudi Arabia as the country of origin of the Sloughi breed from the
        outset and that Egypt is now no longer recognised as a country of origin, so that imports
        from these countries are no longer entered in the stud book.
        Dr. Burchard's comments on the situation in Saudi Arabia should prompt to consider whether
        this country may still be recognised as a country of origin for the Saluki breed.


        5. Dr. Burchard is not accused of having consciously or unconsciously fabricated "breed
        crosses", as he writes. This accusation can at best be levelled against the importer who, for
        example, had Laba'an registered here as a Sloughi, although this dog is now clearly qualified
        by Dr. Burchard as a typical Saudi Arabian Saluki. Even less acceptable is the deliberate use of

        Laba'an in Sloughi breeding by Mme Rey, who knew the connections. It was only through the
        import of this male dog into Switzerland that she was able to use Laba'an for breeding.
        Imported to France, he would certainly never have received a breeding license as a Sloughi.
        The manipulation of the alleged Azawakh imports from Saudi Arabia, which were in fact
        mongrels from the combination of an Azawakh bitch with Laba'an, is completely unjustified
        and utterly incomprehensible. Apparently, only Laba'an's litter sister is being considered,
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