The Saluki Thread

[grizabella]

Here is the place for all things Saluki. Here you can discuss everything about the breed, post photos, show brags, stories, links, just about anything Saluki-related!

So, to get the thread started, here's a photo of my feathered friend...



...and her tail

The breed standard says the tail should be held in a natural curve, Bella has a curve and then some! It reminds me a bit of an Afghan's tail.

[Gazinghound]

Whoo, feathered friends! =^_^= I'll post the links to Ulla's Facebook albums here then, since over her five years of life I've accumulated so many pics, I don't know which to post!

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1505996173110.2066917.1330440043&l=ead45523ce

This one includes a lot of show shots:

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1002178577985.2000123.1330440043&l=81a030e096

In May she won her second major, and now only needs another 5 points to attain her Championship.

And wow, Bella does have not only a curvy tail, but a curly one! =D Reminds me of an Afghan, too. Such a cute loop she carries it in! Ulla does that sometimes, but it usually curls over nearer the end, rather than the whole thing like that. ^.^

I really need to officially join the Garden State Saluki Club. They forgot to contact me last year when I gave them my info at the AKC's Meet the Breeds event, so I'll have to make sure to do it next chance I get. I'm also a lurker on the "Saluki Friends" Yahoo! Group e-mail list, and the "Saluki-L" one. Those seem to be the two biggest lines of communication among certain breeders, owners, & fanciers, including the guy who wrote this awesome book: www.amazon.com/Saluki-Desert-English-Travelers-Brought/dp/0786434074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310877190&sr=8-1
Caroline Coile, a Saluki breeder and dog book author, also added me on Facebook; she's a sweet lady.

[grizabella]

I loooove your photos of Ulla, she looks wonderful in the show ring. ;D So close to her Championship! When will you next be showing her?

I've seen that book on Amazon, and it is definitley on my to-buy list, a long with several others. I recently got a copy of 'Only Angels, How to Raise and Train the Perfect Sighthound' which has been very helpful so far. I also want to get my hands on a copy of 'Living with Infidels' as I have been reading the blog.

I will have to look at those Yahoo! Groups

[grizabella]

Here's a link, it's for Bella's personal blog:
bellasaluki.blogspot.com/

[Gazinghound]

Ahhh, the blog is TOO cute! ;D I think she and Ulla could have a nice girl-to-girl chat about certain things they have in common. And you seriously had a Potter party with Voldemort balloons and wizarding candies? Oh, my, you earn my respect and envy for that one!!

And thank you! I haven't found another show in our area to enter yet, but I'm eager too, naturally...we are so close now! Plus, I'm really excited to try out my new double-folding-chair-with-cooler-and-umbrella (think that'll be a hit, lol...should have found one years ago!), and to see if I can drop by the Chinese Crested and Italian Greyhound rings as well. I'm especially interested in those two breeds for my mom, who wants another toy to replace her Maltese, who passed away last May.

The lists are cool in that I feel that I'm "staying in the know" by reading or skimming some of the messages. Of course, a few members of the "L" list don't get along, writing rather savagely to one another on a daily basis and seeming to be the loudest voices of all, but I still find it worth receiving. xD I'm sure the bitter vitriol is tame in comparison with what a few certain specific people say to and about one another in other breeds.

That Duggan book is absolutely fascinating. It's such a detailed, incredibly well-researched story of the breed's introduction to western culture. My mom gave it to me for Christmas, because it's not exactly cheap...but at least it isn't $3,000 like the copies of "Saluqi: Coursing Hound of the East." Aside from that and the also ridiculously expensive "Saluki, Companion of Kings," I've bought and read a lot of great breed books, including the other ones considered key (the David & Hope Waters book and "The Complete Saluki.") Let me know about "Only Angels." I saw it on the STOLA (Saluki Tree of Life Alliance) site when I was considering adopting one of their elderly dogs, and I think it was something that came free with an adoption. Looked like a very nice guide to understanding how to approach the training of sighthounds.

And lol, "Living With Infidels" is hiLARiously brilliant. I suspect most Saluki owners can probably see glimpses (at least) of their own dogs in that narrator...XD

[grizabella]

Your new chair sounds perfect for a warm day at a show! It must be very exciting look into which breed to add to the family, I have a BIG soft spot for IGs and Chinese Cresteds are so interesting and unique. I take it Ulla's very good with little dogs?

$3000-wow! You could buy a couple of ACTUAL Salukis for that much! Must be a VERY good book! I enjoyed 'Only Angels', it's been very helpful so far with training Bella, especially as it has a section on separation anxiety (Bella's been having a few problems with that, she needs to realise that we are coming back to her!)

*Edited to remove a stray apostrophe- I am ashamed

[Gazinghound]

Oh, I do think it will make many a person jealous! ;D Researching breeds has always been such a passion of mine...what other species has so much wonderful variety?!...especially when you're actually looking at possibly getting a dog. Seems it's not unusual for big sighthound lovers to have a fondness for those two particular breeds among the toys, which really isn't surprising, especially since one IS the smallest of the sighthounds. >3 I think Cresteds are gorgeous--well, there's a ton of variety within them too, and although they tend to win a lot of "Ugliest Dog" competitions, I still think those guys are cute, and many others are just flat-out crazy beautiful. Plus a lot of the Powderpuffs look like toy Afghan hounds, and I like that the hairless ones look like little ponies! ^w^ If I wind up getting my mom one, I'm gonna make her name her after one of the My Little Pony characters. xD

Fortunately, yes, Ulla loves small dogs, having lived with Molly the Maltese for most of her life and being best friends with the neighbors' wee terrier mix. ^^ I can imagine her having a very special bond with another little one, especially an Iggie--they could run and chase each other and curl up together and...ohhh, it'd be so cute. :3

Tell me about it, that's nutty! It is supposed to be a great book, and obviously it's out of print and rare and collectible and alla that--but yeesh, a book worth thousands...!!

Oh good, I'm glad that book is being helpful to you. ^^ Ah, separation anxiety...I'm very familiar with it, though it's not Ulla (she's pretty chill about people coming and going, even though she does obviously miss us, especially me)--poor Rusty is the most anxious bundle of nerves you've ever seen! He freaks out nearly every time someone exits one of the front doors, seemingly sure that THAT will be the time they leave him forever (and we suspect that Ulla teases him about it and insists that we are, indeed, never coming back.) We try to help the guy out and keep him calm, but nothing appears to make a significant difference...he never seems to realize that we always *have* come back and would never abandon him. I was thinking about trying the Thundershirt or some product that's supposed to help them calm down, though it's hard to imagine anything actually resolving his issues--it almost wouldn't be him! :-/_._ Thank goodness he isn't destructive, though--unless you count such mishaps as jumping on the table, bending the blinds, smearing the windows, or stealing and misplacing stuffed animals and gobbing them up with spit. Needless to say, I have to close my door when no one is going to be home!

Actually, this morning Ulla gave me a little scare by bringing her pink puppy 'Bow Wow Beanie' toy upstairs to me. Without my glasses on, it looked like my newest favorite little plush dog, and I momentarily freaked, wondering how she'd even been able to steal her without getting on my bed. XD

[grizabella]

We've worked out that Bella's separation anxiety is made worse by claustrophobia, so we've tried leaving her for short periods with access to most of the house rather than just one room or her crate. She's been so much calmer, I think we're getting there! ;D Will probably give her some Rescue Remedy to help her stay calm as well.

Yesterday Bella had a visit to GreyhoundAddict's house, where she spent several hours exploring their property and meeting other dogs. She was very nervous of white fluffies Bonnie and Clyde and Greyhound Coco at first but as the day went on she was a lot more confident around them and did a bit of running as well. On the way there and back she was so good in the car, the most relaxed she's been on any car journey. I'm very proud!

Here's some piccies of Bella on her little adventure (there's no such thing as too many Saluki pictures)

[grizabella]

I measured Bel Bel yesterday and she is 23" at the withers, so not a particularly small Saluki. I'm wondering if she's going to get taller or if she's just going to fill out more from now on. ;D

Here's a link, for Soul Companions Saluki Rescue, it's the only Saluki rescue in Australia. The lady also does animal communication workshops which I am very interested in.

user.digisurf.com.au/soulcompanions/saluki.html

[Gazinghound]

It's great that you've worked out one of the roots of the problem! Our destruction problems have been relatively minimal, and it's true--we close off certain rooms containing things we want to protect, but basically, the dogs still have the run of the house. Being confined would probably drive them more nuts, I imagine...kind of like the Miniature Schnauzer pup we had when I was little...she spent too much time gated in the laundry room and wound up tearing up the linoleum floor.

Looks like a real nice time with the other three pooches! I'm glad she opened up a little more to them, and hopefully they'll all end up being good friends. That's good about the car travel, too. Ulla's gotten much better with that as of late (but I best not jinx it, we've got a major cross-country road trip comin' up!) Especially when Rusty is along, though, she does seem to do just fine most of the time now...

Hmm, I would guess that it's still possible Bel may grow a wee bit taller. I ought to measure Ullie; I think she topped out somewhere between 18 & 20" or some such...she's always one of the smallest adults in any group.

Oh, what a lovely place/website/bunch of dogs and names. If there can only be one, that's the way it should be. I see some really pretty, furry Salukers!! ;D Animal communication's always been very interesting to me too. Funnily enough I recall there being another woman who practiced that, supporting the Saluki Tree of Life Alliance over here...she was also an artist, I believe, and her site was linked to the organization's. I remember looking around on it. There must be something about sighthounds, and Salukis in particular, that appeals to lovers of that type of thing. Crying at the memorial page, though. I can't believe it's been over a year since Molly passed away, and next month it'll be a year since Casey... Not a day goes by that I don't think about and miss them (and everyone else who's in Spirit!)

[grizabella]

Bella got VERY destructive when left in one room, and we have a clawed laundry door and a very ripped up carpet!
I do hope your trip goes well and that Ulla handles it alright.

I can see why Salukis appeal to people who do animal communication, I would so love to know what Bella is thinking sometimes! I imagine how you must be feeling about Molly and Casey, it must still be very raw. I know I still get very teary over Tiggy two years later.

[grizabella]

Today we took Bella to a show (just to watch and take it all in). There was only one Saluki competing, a beautiful black and cream girl, but there was another pup who was also just coming along to watch. I went over and had a little chat with her owner and discovered that Precious was Bella's littermate! ;D It was such a nice surprise! Precious was so much like Bella in her mannerism and there was definitley some family resemblance.

Bella was very nervous about the whole thing for a while, and wasn't at all sure about being reunited with her sister. As the day went on she got much more comfortable with everything, and I think it was a great experience for her.

Here's a couple of photos of Precious and Bella:





While at the show, I bought Bella a show lead (and some socks featuring Afghan Hounds for me!). She looks very nice in it I think!





On a non-Saluki note, I was super pleased when a gorgeous Afghan won Group. I'd predicted he/she would win it (I found it impossible to tell if it was a dog or bitch under all that beautiful hair!)

[Gazinghound]

Oh, dear! Poor Bell.
Thank you! Boulder, Colorado is supposed to be a very animal-friendly city, and I'm anticipating this being a really great trip for ALL of us. ;D

Ahh, the fascinating, calculating, complex, mystical minds of these creatures...!
Yes, the sadness of having lost one and not being able to see them again doesn't seem to ever completely fade away, even long after you've come to terms with it and accepted that they can't stick around forever, are in a better place, etc.

Awesome! How cool that she happened to run into her sister there, especially considering how tiny the Saluki entry was. Ulla was apprehensive, too, on her first show visit...and still sometimes gets that way when we first arrive somewhere, or when she's barraged by an overly friendly stranger OR family member. But once she sees her old human friends and family or has a chance to sniff out her relatives a bit, she gets all wiggly, and suddenly she's the one with the wildly happy greetings (or attacks, as less doggy people might see them. xD)

I definitely see the sisterly resemblance, yet I can also easily tell them apart. :] Shopping at shows is GREAT fun! The things you can get for yourself and your pup! ^o^ That show lead is brilliant! We've had nothing but brown and black (and I've seen some silver, gold, etc.; nothing too different color-wise), which look good because they blend into Ulla's fur and hair. Being the color lover I am, though, I'm sure I'd have gone for something really snazzy like that turquoise if I'd seen it.

Muchos congratulations to the lovely Affie on that impressive, if predictable, win! =D =D Lol, that's one thing about the short-coated breeds...you can tell whether you're looking at a boy or a girl! ;D

[grizabella]

Bella's been poorly with gastro for the last couple of days. It was very worrying for me, but she's much better now. The vet had much admiration for her breed! Bella was weighed at the vet and was almost 15kg, I'd be happier if she put a bit of weight on because she is quite a skinny girl. For the last few days her eating's been different to what it's usually been because she's unwell. It seems Bella has only been growing upwards rather than putting much weight on- she's now almost 25"!

Here's a link for Saluki Insights, an online magazine, which Bella's breeder/ co-owners contribute to. It makes a very interesting read. www.salukiinsights.com/Index.html


...And another photo of my lovely girl...

[grizabella]

I found this whilst searching through deviantart, FAR too cute not to share...

browse.deviantart.com/?qh=§ion=&q=saluki+snape#/d47jtsr