Afghan Hound Health and History
Health
Afghans are a relatively healthy breed; major health issues are allergies, and cancer. Sensitivity to anaesthesia is an issue the Afghan hound shares with the rest of the sighthound group, as sighthounds have relatively low levels of body fat.
Afghan hounds as a whole are a fairly long-lived breed, often living 13-14 years.
History
The breed was always thought to date back at least to the pre-Christian era, and recent discoveries by researchers studying ancient DNA have revealed that the Afghan Hound is in fact one of the most ancient dog breeds, dating back for many thousands of years. Its original native name, Tazi, betrays its connection to the very similar Tasy breed of Russia. The proximity of southern Russia and Afghanistan argue for a common origin for both breeds.
Initially, Afghani people refused to sell their national dog to outsiders; the breed was not seen in Europe and America until after the turn of the 20th century. AKC and CKC did not recognize the Afghan Hound until the 1930s.
On August 3, 2005, Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk announced that his team of researchers had become the first team to successfully clone a dog. The dog, an Afghan Hound, was named Snuppy. Later that year, a pattern of lies and fraud by Hwang Woo-Suk came to light, throwing in doubt about all his claims. Snuppy, nonetheless, was [a genuine clone], and thus the first cloned dog in history. (”The panel found that Hwang’s claims last year to have created the world’s first cloned dog, however, were genuine.”)
Famous Afghans
Rita from Oliver & Company
Snuppy
What-a-Mess
Brainy Barker from Krypto the Superdog
