A Saluki? The sighthounds

This is the beautiful Afghan hound

I have to tell you; I got asked today if Luke was a Saluki.  A Saluki?  For real?  The person who asked me was an elderly gentleman walking his Springer spaniel.  As he said "is that?" I fully expected to hear the normal; Doodle?  When I heard Saluki come out I was a little taken back.  How did this man even know what a Saluki was?  They are not a rare breed but you sure don't see them around; they basically look like a short haired Afghan.  And in 13 years I've only seen them at dog shows and one at a breeders home that I was visiting.   Yep; Saluki is the weirdest guess I've gotten so far.

Irish Wolfhound

As you all know I love just about every dog there is; but as far as shooting goes, my favorite has to be the Sighthound group.  The Greyhounds, Borzoi, Saluki, Afghan, Ibizan and Scottish Deerhound etc.  I love the look of all dogs but this group has that aristocratic air about them.  Something about them says art; it's nearly impossible to take a bad photo of a sighthound.   I have had the honor of shooting many different sighthounds; no not a Saluki, not yet but others.  I remember an Irish Wolfhound shoot I did; one of the big dogs was a little fearful by nature and when he laid a big kiss; and I mean a big one on my face the owner was shocked.   He was adorable; he towered over me as I was sitting on the lawn and his head was at least two of mine.

Sighthounds are some of the oldest breeds and they haven't changed a whole lot over the years.  They are mostly built for speed; their profile eludes to that of wind and velocity.  And to watch them as they swiftly cover distance; barely making contact with the ground beneath them is an awesome sight.  As regal and amazingly beautiful that they are; they are like any other dog, intelligent, goofy, full of expression and love to be with their family.

Greyhound

By far the  most popular sighthounds are the Greyhounds due to the rescue dogs pulled from their horrific life on the track.  Hopefully some day it will no long exist and there will no longer be a need for all the needle nose rescue groups.   Thankfully there are many people out there willing to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home these amazing dogs.  I had the great honor of photographing many rescue Greyhounds while working on my Greyhound rescue book; each had their own story to tell.  Please have a look at my book; 100% of the proceeds go to the dogs.

Greyhounds

And although Luke is admittedly very skinny; Mr. Fussy pants does not look like a Saluki; well maybe just a little.