Egyptian Era Booth

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Pharaoh

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In Egypt, the ancestors of modern greyhounds were used in hunting and kept as companions.

Many Egyptians considered the birth of a such a hound second in importance only to the birth of

a son. When the pet hound died, the entire family would go into mourning.

The favorite hounds of the upper class were mummified and buried with their owners. The walls

of Egyptian tombs often were decorated with images of their hounds. An Egyptian tomb painting

from 2200 BC portrays dogs that looks very much like the modern greyhound. Among pharaohs

known to own greyhound-type dogs are Tutankhamen, Amenhotep II, Thutmose III, Queen

Hatshepsut, and Cleopatra VII (of Antony and Cleopatra fame).

The Egyptian god Anubis, either a jackal or a hound-type dog, is frequently displayed on murals

in the tombs of the Pharaohs. Some depictions of it look much like the modern Pharaoh Hound, a

close relation of the greyhound.

The Types of Hounds that originated from the Jackel

Afghan Hound

Azawakh

Borzoi

Chart Polski (Polish Greyhound)

CirnecoDell’Etna

Greyhound

Hungarian Greyhound (Magyar Agar)

Ibizan Hound

Irish Wolfhound

Pharaoh Hound

PodengoPortugueso

Saluki

Scottish Deerhound

Sloughi

Spanish Greyhound (Galgo)

Whippet

Xoloitzcuintli

Italian Greyhound

The Greek and Roman Eras

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The Greeks probably bought some of these hounds from Egyptian merchants, some time before 1000 BC. The first breed of dog named in western literature was the ancestor of the greyhound. In The Odyssey, written by Homer in 800 BC, the hero Odysseus is away from home for 20 years fighting the Trojans and trying to get home against the opposition of the god Poseidon. When he finally returns home, he disguises himself. The only one to recognize him was his hound Argus, who is described in terms that marks him clearly as a sighthound. Art and coins from Greece depict short-haired hounds virtually identical to modern greyhounds, making it fairly certain that the greyhound breed has changed very little since 500 BC. A reason for the lack of change in 2,500 years is that, until very recently, the function of the greyhound has remained the same: to thrill humans with its agility, speed, and intelligence as it chased the wild hare.

Around 325 BC, a hound named Peritas reportedly accompanied the Macedonian monarch Alexander the Great on his military campaigns.

The Greek gods were often portrayed with greyhounds. A hound often accompanies Hecate, the goddess of wealth. The protector of the hunt, the god Pollux, also is depicted with hounds. One myth tells of how a human named Actaeon came upon the goddess Artemis taking a bath in a river. She punishes his impropriety by turning him into a stag. He is then hunted down by his own hounds. Depictions of this scene occur many times in Greek and Roman art. In his work, Metamorphosis, the Roman writer Ovid in the late first century BC retold this story.

The Romans obtained their greyhounds from either the Greeks or the Celts. Roman authors like Ovid and Arrian refer to them as Celt Hounds. Some of their deities were accompanied by

hounds. Diana (the Roman version of Artemis) hunted with hounds. She was considered a patron deity of animals, as depicted in this relief sculpture. In a popular Roman story, Diana gives a greyhound named Lelaps to her good friend Procris. Procris takes him hunting,

and before long Procris spots a hare and pursues it. Unfortunately for Lelaps, the gods didn't want the hare to be caught and turned both Lelaps and the hare into stone. This scene is a common one in Roman art. Ovid also wrote about Procris and Lelaps.

The Romans used hounds for coursing. In coursing, the speed and agility of sighthounds are tested against their prey, the hare. Dogs apparently did not compete against one another, as in modern coursing. Ovid describes coursing in the early first century AD: the impatient greyhound is held back to give the hare a fair start. The Roman Flavius Arrianus (Arrian) wrote "On Hunting Hares" in 124 AD. He tells his readers that the purpose of coursing is not to catch the hare, but to enjoy the chase itself: "The true sportsman does not take out his dogs to destroy the hares, but for the sake of the course and the contest between the dogs and the hares, and is glad if the hares escape." Concerned about proper sportsmanship, he adds, "Whoever courses with greyhounds should neither slip them near the hare, nor more than a brace (2) at a time." Arrian also describes coursing among the Celts of Gaul (France):

The more opulent Celts, who live in luxury, course in the following manner. They send out hare finders early in the morning to look over such places as are likely to afford hares in form; and a messenger brings word if they have found any, and what number. They then go out themselves, and having started the hare, slip the dogs after her, and follow on horseback.

When they conquered Britain, the Romans brought with them European hares--more suitable for coursing than the local wild hares.

The Renaissance EraCharacters needed:

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The Middle/Dark ages

Greyhounds nearly became extinct during times of famine in the Middle Ages. They were saved by clergymen who protected them and bred them for the nobility. From this point on, they came to be considered the dogs of the aristocracy. In the tenth century, King Howel of Wales made killing a greyhound punishable by death. King Canute of England established the Forest Laws in 1014, reserving large areas of the country for hunting by the nobility. Only such persons could own greyhounds; any "meane person" (commoner) caught owning a greyhound would be severely punished and the dog's toes "lawed" (mutilated) to prevent it from hunting. The value of a Greyhound exceeded that of a serf, and the punishment for causing death of a Greyhound was equivalent to the punishment for murder. In 1066 William the Conqueror introduced even more stringent forest laws. Commoners who hunted with greyhounds in defiance of these laws favored dogs whose coloring made them harder to spot: black, red, fawn, and brindle. Nobles by contrast favored white and spotted dogs who could be spotted and recovered more easily if lost in the forest. It became common among the English aristocracy to say, "You could tell a gentleman by his horses and his greyhounds." Old paintings and tapestries of hunting feasts often include greyhounds.

Hunting in Europe and Asia with specially bred and trained dogs was the sport of nobles and the clergy, in large part because they owned or controlled much of the land suitable for hunting. There's little evidence that the common man in the Middle Ages used dogs to hunt. Hunting with sighthounds in this era hadn't changed much since the time of Romans like Arrian. It was a sport, not the serious pursuit of food, which pitted the hounds against the hare and against each other.

Dogs in general were at times looked down upon in the Middle Ages, while greyhounds were highly valued. Vincent of Beauvais, in the mid- thirteenth century, identified three types of dog: hunting dogs, with drooping ears, guard dogs, which are more rustic than other dogs, and greyhounds, which are "the noblest, the most elegant, the swiftest, and the best at hunting."

The greyhound was used as an emblem, often in tombs, at the feet of the effigies of gentlemen, symbolizing the knightly virtues (faith), occupations (hunting) and generally the aristocratic way of life. Where tombs are concerned, the greyhound always was associated with knighthood (along with the lion, symbolizing strength) and never with ladies, who generally were associated with the little lap-dog (symbol of marital faithfulness and domestic virtue).

The greyhound is the first breed of dog mentioned in English literature. The monk in Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th century The Canterbury Tales reportedly spent great sums on his greyhounds:

Greyhounds he hadde as swifte as fowel in flight; Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare.

Edmund de Langley's Mayster of Game, AD 1370, describes the ideal greyhound. Langley presented this book to the future King Henry V of England. Henry reportedly was a big fan of greyhounds; perhaps Shakespeare knew this when, two centuries later, he had Henry speak the quote below.

We don't know for certain where or when the term greyhound originated. It probably dates to the late middle ages. It may come from the old English "grei-hundr," supposedly "dog hunter" or high order of rank. Another explanation is that it is derived from "gre" or "gradus," meaning "first rank," so that greyhound would mean "first rank among dogs." Finally, it has been suggested that the term derives from Greekhound, since the hound reached England through the Greeks. A minority view is that the original greyhound stock was mostly grey in color, so that the name simply refers to the color of the hound.

The Renaissance

Renaissance artists considered the greyhound a worthy subject. The works of Veronese, Uccello, Pisanello and Desportes, among others, depict greyhounds in a variety of setting from sacred to secular, with an emphasis on the hunt. The image to the right is "Portrait of the Artist in Hunting Dress" by Desportes.

Coursing races, with dogs chasing live rabbits, became popular during the sixteenth century. Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) had Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, draw up rules judging competitive coursing. These rules established such things as the hare's head start and the ways in which the two hounds' speed, agility and concentration would be judged against one another. Winning was not necessarily dependent on catching the hare (although this did earn a high score). Often the hare escaped. Wagers were commonly placed on the racing dogs. Read the Renaissance rules of coursing, taken from a sixteenth century book by Gervase Markham, with interpretations of their meanings. These rules were still in effect when the first official coursing club was founded in 1776 at Swaffham, Norfolk, England. The rules of coursing have not changed a great deal since this time.

The English sport of coursing -- hunting by sight instead of scent -- has roots in ancient Greece, and is a sport valued for the contest more than the catching of the prey. The Greek historian Arrian wrote more than 1800 years ago: "For coursers, such at least as are true sportsmen, do not take their dogs out for the sake of catching a hare, but for the contest and sport of coursing, and are glad if the hare meets with an escape."

Unlike Elizabeth, King James I (1566-1625) preferred hunting to hard work. He was an avid fan of greyhound coursing. Having heard about the strength of the local hares, he brought his greyhounds to the village of Fordham near the border of Suffolk and Cambridge. This was not a public exhibition, but a private competition between the king's greyhounds observed by James and his court. He stayed at the Griffin Inn in the nearby town of Newmarket. He enjoyed the coursing there so much that he built a hunting lodge in Newmarket. To maintain the quality of hunting, in 1619 he ordered the release of 100 hares and 100 partridges every year at Newmarket. Races between the horses of his followers became as important as the matches between the king's greyhounds. This began the tradition of competitive racing in Newmarket.

Dr. Caius' notes to the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gesner, written in 1570, describe the appearance and abilities of the English greyhound. In the late sixteenth century, Gervase Markham wrote that greyhounds

are of all dogs whatsoever the most noble and princely, strong, nimble, swift and valiant; and though of slender and very fine proportions, yet so well knit and coupled together, and so seconded with spirit and mettle, that they are master of all other dogs whatsoever.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) mentioned greyhounds in a number of his plays. In Henry V Henry's speech to his troops just before the Battle of Harfleur compares people to coursing greyhounds:

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game's afoot.

By the close of the sixteenth century, the world had changed significantly. Feudalism had ended allowing commoners freedom of movement unknown for a thousand years. City dwellers increased in number. By this time many more people were able to own game dogs such as greyhounds. As the number of middle class persons expanded, so did the need for cleared land. Dense forests and swamps were giving way to planting land, pastures, and towns. These new fields brought infiltration by hares, foxes, and badgers. The need to exterminate unwanted animals led to breeding of cast-off greyhounds (and other breeds) of the upper classes.

Colonial Era

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Indian

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Greyhounds first made their way to America in the late 1400’s when Christopher Columbus

included them on his second expedition to the New World. One greyhound accompanied

Francisco de Coronado as far as present-day Mexico. Other greyhounds accompanied Ponce de

Leon, Hernando de Soto, Vasco de Balboa and Cortez as they traveled throughout the Americas.

In February 1608, Christopher Newport and John Smith visit Powhatan, the paramount chief of

Tsenacomoco, at his capital, Werowocomoco. Powhatan feeds them and their party lavishly, and

Newport presents the chief with a suit of clothing, a hat, and a greyhound. The English continue

upriver to visit Opechancanough at the latter's request. Greyhounds traveled with English

explorer George Cartwright on his expeditions into Canada in the late 1700’s. Baron Friedrich

von Steuben, who helped General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, kept his

greyhound Azor with him during the long winter at Valley Forge in 1777.In the mid-1800’s,

greyhounds were imported to North America in large numbers from Ireland to control a

jackrabbit epidemic in the Midwest and were later used to hunt coyotes.

The Civil War Era

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The US Calvary used greyhounds to help track down Native Americans, while General

George Custer reportedly took his greyhounds with him wherever he went. Soon, greyhounds

were used as a sporting dog. One of the first national coursing meets was held in Kansas in 1886.

The transition from coursing to racing began as early as 1876, when the first artificial lure was

used on a straight track in England. In the early 1900’s, an American by the name of Owen

Patrick Smith developed a lure that could run on an oval track and greyhound racing began to be

considered a sport. This led to the opening of the first greyhound racing track in Emeryville,

California in 1919 and the transition of the greyhound from royal companion to racing

commodity.

General George Custer

General George Custer reportedly took his greyhounds with him wherever he went.

“I had several fine English greyhounds, whose speed I was anxious to test with that of the antelope, said to be — which I believe — the fleetest of animals. I was mounted on a fine large thoroughbred horse. Taking with me but one man, the chief bugler, and calling my

dogs around me, I galloped ahead of the column as soon as it was daylight, for the purpose of having a chase after some antelope which could be seen grazing nearly two miles

distant…. That such a course was rashly imprudent I am ready to admit. A stirring gallop of a few minutes brought me near enough to the antelope, of which there were a dozen or more, to enable the dogs to catch sight of them. Then the chase began, the antelope running in a

direction which took us away from the command. By availing myself of the turns in the course, I was able to keep well in view of the exciting chase until it was evident that the antelope were in no danger of being caught by the dogs, which latter had become blown

from want of proper exercise.”

The only name given for one of his greyhound Byron

Sighthounds and greyhounds of the Presidents

1st president George Washington:

greyhound, Cornwallis

There is question whether he actually existed

10th president John Tyler:

Italian greyhound, le beau,

the Italian greyhound was a gift he got for his wife

a pair of wolfhounds

the wolfhounds were imported by his wife

19th president Rutherford B. Hayes:

Greyhound, Grim

There is no actual picture of Grim

28th president Woodrow Wilson:

Greyhound, Mountain Boy