Page 128 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW - ISSUE 13

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CHAPTER 9 - TYPE OR RACE? SIDE NOTE

With our reflections on the Sloughi as a hunting dog and on the question of the Sloughi
becoming a pet, we have presented various examples, both from history and from the
recent past. The guard dogs here in Europe were almost extinct in places, like the Patou
briefly presented above. With the return of the wolves, however, the task of protecting
the herds has become topical again for this type of dog. There are still areas in Central
Europe where transhumant herding is common, although to a much lesser extent than

fifty years ago.

Speaking of the type of dog, I would like to weave in a little incident here at this point.
Jutta Rübesam, who is very concerned about the original sighthound types in Eastern
Europe and Asia, introduced the following dog on Facebook.

Taigan in the Ath Bashy Valley, Kyrgyzstan 2016 A Taigan because he hunts like a Taigan, 2016
© Rübesam © Blaszkowski

At a show in Kyrgyzstan, this dog was exhibited among the Taigans. We in the western
world, who judge the breed mainly by the appearance of the dogs (standard according to
FCI), would have sorted him out immediately. But the hunters there said “he hunts like a

Taigan”. So he was also exhibited with the Taigans.

This small example should illustrate that the selection of dogs of a certain type was
determined less by appearance than by the use or character and abilities of a dog.