Telomian

The Telomian was bred by the Orang Asli to hunt and control small rodents, snakes and other vermin in the Malaysian jungles. It was the job of the Telomian to go into the house before his owners and search out any rodents, snakes or other vermin that may be present. The natives of Malaysia were constantly concerned about small vermin and snakes since the jungles were the perfect place for such creatures. The Orang Asli would build their huts off about six feet off the ground. The Telomian had to adapt to climbing rickety ladders into these huts. He developed extraordinary paw control and this trait is still common in the breed today. The Telomian is known for having the ability to open doors with their paws or even hold food and toys in their paws. The breed was not discovered by outsiders until 1963 when Dr. Orville Elliot discovered these dogs near the Telom River. The breed is named after this river. Dr. Elliot imported a pair of Telomians into the United States. In 1973 a second pair of Telomians was imported into the United States. Many believe that all of the Telomians within the United States that have not been directly imported descended from these original two pairs. He is still the first and the only Malaysian breed that has been bred outside of Malaysia. There is still too few of these dogs in the United States to qualify for official recognition by the American Kennel Club.