Polish Greyhound (Chart Polski)

This rare breed sight hound can be traced back to the 1600s although he was not given the Chart Polski name until early in the 19^th century. Originally, he was bred to hunt wolves, deer, hare and fox. The number of Chart Polski dogs in Poland sharply declined due to Poland’s violent history during the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Originally, the Chart Polski was owned strictly by royalty and aristocrats. Commoners were unable to own these dogs until after World War II, when packs of these dogs became homeless and peasants adopted them into their homes and farms. Despite being called the Polish Greyhound, it has been determined that the Chart Polski is not related to any of the dogs in the Greyhound group. Breed experts have determined that the Chart Polski originated from a Saluki-type Asiatic sight hound. During the early 1980's, enthusiasts of the breed began searching for purebred representatives to become the foundation for reviving the Chart Polski breed. The official breed standard was not written based on the current dogs being used to revive the breed but rather by depictions of what the breed looked like in paintings done by 19^th century artists such as Jozef Brandt, Juliusz Kossak and Alfreda Wierusz-Kowalski. The Chart Polski was officially recognized by the Polish Kennel Club as a sight hound and then by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. The first Chart Polskis were imported into the United States by Kaz and Betty Augustowski. The Augustowskis were honored by the Polish Kennel Club for their effort in promoting the breed. The Chart Polski was accepted into the United Kennel Club in 1996.