Afghan Hound

The Afghan Hound is thought to be one of the oldest of the domestic dog breeds, dating all the way back to 4,000 BC when they stayed hidden in the mountains of Afghanistan in the Middle East. That is where it got its name. However, the breed was brought to Britain by the British soldiers in the 1920s and then to the United States in 1926, when the breed was officially recognized by the AKC. There are 13 different types of Afghan Hounds recorded in Afghanistan and they won Best in Show at the competition in Westminster in 1957 and 1983. Because they are naturally excellent hunters, they were used thousands of years ago by the nomads in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to hunt large game. According to the AKC, the Afghan Hound was able to take down both small and large animals such as antelopes and leopards by grabbing them by the neck. It is said that this breed was commonly owned by leaders of war such as Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan. Interestingly, Zeppo Marx of the Marx Brothers was one of the first owners of Afghan Hounds in the United States. Another interesting fact is that the Afghan Hound became extremely popular in 1981 after Mattel introduced Barbie’s pet Afghan Hound named Beauty. In addition, the first dog to be cloned was an Afghan Hound named Snuppy. This was done in 2005 in South Korea by using skin cells of a three-year-old Afghan Hound and 123 surrogate mothers. There were three successful pregnancies. However, one was a miscarriage and the other died of pneumonia right after birth. Snuppy was healthy and lived to be 10 years old.