The Afghan Hound (Ogar Afgan, Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, Barakzai Hound, Kuchi Hound, Shalgar Hound, Kabul Hound, Galanday Hound, Eastern Greyhound, Persian Greyhound) or Tazi Spay (Sag-e Tazi, Tazi, Tazi Dog, Da Kochyano Spay, Sage Balochi) is an ancient Middle Eastern Sighthound that originated in the Mountains of Afghanistan. Unfortunately, very little is known of the early history of this basal breed that predates all modern dog breeds. There are many theories among the breed fanciers about how it came into being (the most popular opinion is that these dogs had arrived in the region of Afghanistan from Egypt more than 4.000 years ago), but there is almost no evidence to support either of these. However, there’s no doubt that the Ogar Afgan has the identical ancestry with some other Sighthounds from the Tian Shan region, Turkmenistan, Arabian Peninsula, and the Caspian Sea area of Russia, such as the Tasy, Kurram Valley Hound, Barakzay, and the Saluki. In fact, the Tazi Dog is thought to be the closest relative of the Saluki, which is quite reasonable since they share many traits, including hunting together with falcons. They are both included in the group of 14 ancient breeds – the oldest and purest dogs in the world, closely related to the wolf. In this group are some of the most famous dog breeds around the world, such as the Pekingese, Basenji, Samoyed, Chow Chow, Siberian Husky, Shar-Pei, etc. Continue Reading →