Page 37 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW SPECIAL ISSUE 7 B

T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 3 7

Around 1909, Greyhounds, Whippets, and Italian Greyhounds already had a large circle of

enthusiasts. To the dismay of many, the latter two breeds were often crossed with each
other. The emergence of these short-haired breeds also gave a boost to sighthound
racing, which until then had been practiced almost exclusively with Borzois. Breeding and
racing were inseparable, or so the thinking went; good and sufficient exercise is a
necessary condition for the growth and upbringing of a sighthound. This explains the
combination of maintaining the studbook and organizing and regulating sighthound
racing, a combination which still exists today.

Even then, people did not want to let the dogs run without regulation. Already in 1910, the
first German racing regulations were therefore established. In 1921, the first two regional
sighthound racing associations were founded. As early as 1927, a height restriction was
introduced for Whippets, something that is still a subject of debate today.

At a competition in Duisburg in 1931, the 70 registered dogs ran behind a mechanically
propelled hare for the first time, witnessed by 2000 spectators.

1930 10 handslipped Borzois, Wuppertal (Wuppertaler Rennverein)

1939. Antique German sterling silver medal.
Dogs wear a kind of muzzle and blankets.