Page 30 - The Sloughi Review - Issue 7
P. 30
T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 3 0
Although Florence Amherst describes the Even the decision on the official name of
Arabian types of Salukis, she and her English the breed required a discussion. Lady
pre World War I colleagues in breeding, Florence suggested the name "Saluki Shami
interestingly, do not fall back on the three Gazelle Hound", but it excluded the other
types of the Arabian Peninsula [3], but types of other members. Therefore the
import the obviously different types of other breed name "Saluki or Gazelle Hound" was
regions. decided with the remark that "Saluki" was
the universal name for the breed [5].
As Brian Duggan reports, she and the other
breeders did not know people in the areas Brian Duggan continues to use "Saluki" as a
with Omani, Nejdi, and Yamani Salukis, so no breed name. However, since it is about very
imports from there were possible. That is diverse types, that are to be summarized in
why she only had the Shamis – and would the collective name for a breed, one should
come to prefer that type. These were talk actually of "Saluki type".
Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Transjordan,
Palestine and Egypt, therefore areas, where Sir Terence Clark speaks in his foreword to
the former Ottoman Empire lasted until the Brian Duggan's book "Saluki – The Desert
First World War. Here, the military stayed, Hound and the English Travelers Who
who in their spare time indulged in their Brought It to the West" about the
hobby, hunting with sighthounds. "admirably flexible breed standard that
summarizes the diversity of the hounds'
Florence Amherst and another twelve Saluki origins."
breeders and owners founded on February 1,
1923, the "Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club", He writes also about the struggle "to find a
during the Crufts show. Already at the name for the breed from the many
inaugural meeting there were different conflicting usages - from Slughi to Tazi",
opinions as to which Salukis should be and the fact that "the resulting compromise
included in a breed standard, because the is not the happiest."
members of the constituent meeting owned
dogs of all 4 described types. In the end, Florence Amherst preferred the lighter
Brigadier General Frederick Fitzhugh "Mesopotamian type" for the "Amherstia"
Lance [4] prevailed with his opinion to dogs, over the "heavier Syrian type" of the
include all types of all origins from Syria to Saronas of the Lances; Sarona Kelb,
Egypt (at this point in time at the beginning however, was a mixture of two different
of the 20th century) in the standard. hounds of origin, for his parents were of
different heritages, maybe types.
