Saluki 101
“ I could never own a dog I had to starve all the time.” So said the lady with a Lab ringside. But I was ready. I whipped out my bait—not just your ho-hum liver, but a doggie-heaven vending machine assortment of meats and sweets—and offered them to my Saluki, who of course, whipped her head away in dis- dain as I barely saved my fingers from her lunging Lab. I explained most Salu- ki owners exchange recipes for Saluki- enticing entrees to which their dogs retch and threaten to be on slow-motion commercials for the HSUS. Most Salu- kis are thin because that's how they naturally are.
By Caroline Coile
Running Runners are lean—and Salukis are runners. Not as fast as a Greyhound, nor as quick as a Whippet, the Saluki will leave the others behind after a quarter mile and—if in good running condition—will still be running hard at a mile. Even more important, at the end of the course they'll return in good shape: no broken toes, torn ligaments or blown pads. Th ey specialize in rough terrain, their oversize feet acting like o ff -road tires. Traditionally, Salukis coursed gazelle, rabbits and other swift quarry both for sport and for the pot. Muslim reli- gion considers dogs unclean, but makes an exception for the Saluki. Bedouin nomads invite the Saluki into their tent and treat them as prized possessions.
Middle Eastern Salukis are still used for coursing, but now they're usually pre- vented from killing the gazelle. (Type in “Saluki” and “gazelle” on YouTube.com to see plenty of courses). Salukis in the western United States course jackrabbits. Hunters walk vast fields until a jackrabbit bolts, then three Salukis are slipped once the jack has a head start. More often than not, the jack loses the dogs under a fence or in the dust after a long run. Salukis and non- AKC greyhounds dominate the sport. With little separation of show and field Saluki lines, BIS Salukis have earned the open field coursing titles. Elsewhere, Salukis chase a lure to test their running ability, with both the orig- inal clure coursing body, the American
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