Walked to the village Post Office this morning - on the way back I met the couple who own Afghan Hounds. They had been clipped/groomed (the hounds not the owners) and looked lovely. Knowing them of old - I did not approach or try to touch them - I just said ‘Hello, Gorgeous’ as they passed me. The hounds immediately leapt about two feet in the air and started dancing round the pavement like Dervishes on speed - making macrame of their leads and almost knocking their owners into the road!
Are all Afghans this highly strung or are these two just completely bonkers?
Must be difficult for the owners because the dogs are so beautiful that most people would want to stop and pet them.
Tabby I knew a lady who had one that bit her when she was getting it’s food from her shopping bag.
They are beautiful but this lady said they were not easy to deal with.
I shouldn’t be laughing at this but I did! There is one I know across town and he is this skittish, honestly! But when he runs its a beautiful sight, so graceful.
A friend of mine from school her parents had Afghans and they were what I would call “wary” of anyone but their family. Every one they had over the years were thieves darned good at it though they could have something off your plate before you noticed. Very clever though almost too clever; but hard work I always thought. Her Mom adored them.
You don’t clip Afghan hounds those people need education. As for hunting they are not scent hounds but sight hounds. How they were used for hunting they followed the huntsman’s birds of prey sent up to find the prey and the hounds followed the birds and wore down the prey for the huntsman’s to kill. There used to be two to types of Afghan hounds , those from the plains were longer in the body and those from the hills shorter and stockier. Now both types are so intermixed there is no difference if you look up " zardin" you will see the original. Sue and I got well know in the breed as apart from Margaret Niblick and her champion white warrior we had at the time the only other white Afghan hound. Margaret a great friend of ours actually spent time in Afghanistan with the tribesmen and they allowed her to bring back hounds . We not only showed but bred and had a agent who got us a lot of work . We were even booked for a morcombe and wise show but they refused to work with animals yes we had many Afghan hounds over the years but sadly now too much to keep them in top condition coat and heath wise due to our age . Yes the did also act as Guard dogs in so far as barking to warn not as attack dogs
They never used the be highly strung but due to the tremendous demand people bred for money and not to preserve the breed .so inbreeding became rife and now this is the result. They were always aloof and independent breed which is why we loved them
This over breeding also altered the temperament for the worse unfortunately . When we had then even our kids as babies were ok playing with them but don’t think I would trust ones today. Margaret,s book is the definitive Bible on the breed called " The Afghan hound" if you can get hold of one it will cost you a lot of money now. We have two and one signed and dedicated to Sue as a sign of our friendship. Just looked up price and used copy sells for £100 unsigned on Amazon if the had any that is!
I met a beautiful Doberman today on my walk with Jack, I wish I’d taken a photo of him, he was extremely gentle around Jack being old and that…such a handsome dog it was,
little story I have told before but some may not have been members back then.
I always wanted a dog and Sue always wanted an Afghan Hound ,so not only did we get married but decide to get an Afghan hound. Not rushing into getting one we researched- went to dog shows-asked loads of owners and then decided to buy.
By this time many well known breeders had heard about us but none had puppies. One particular breeder near where we lived invited us to her place to chat about the breed in general saying she had no puppies but willing to spend time talking about them
So on the arranged day Sue and I turned up at her place (dead posh it was) roller up the drive etc, gulp.
So we were invited into the house and chatted, She (Mrs Ann Allen) eventually admitted she did have some puppies only a few days old . So into the “puppy” room and there were these adorable black afghan puppies ( they start off black then change colour ) . Among them was one white one.
Seems that Margaret Niblock (the stud dog owner) had gone to see the new born puppies and the white one was born outside on the front drive.
We eventually found out about these two ladies, both top international judges ( bloody hell what a shock) not only that but this was a litter of “blue” afghan puppies very rare at the time
back to the story
After spending the afternoon there Mrs Allen, we are still friend with Ann after many many years, she said we could have a puppy not the pick of litter as it was going to be a pet not a show dog. FANTASTIC we were going to own an Afghan hound a few weeks later when old enough to leave the litter for a new home
Eventually the phone rang and it was Ann to say we can collect a puppy, excited didn’t come into it, so off we went. Ann told us that Herr Frankenburger the German breeder want some of the puppies for his “blue” foundation stock.
So we wanted to know which puppy Ann had picked out for us so off she went to the puppy room. Sue was nearly wetting herself with excitement. Ann came back with the white one"bloody hell the only second one in the UK"
Ann said that Herr F. went mad when he heard the white was going only to a pet home but that was Anns choice. Little did we know then the plans Ann had already made.
so home we went with this white bundle of adorable Afghan hound puppy. OH no it didn’t stop there far from it… As Ann lived not too far away and keeping an eye on us I guess she popped in a few time to see “her baby” which was nice for us so we could learn about caring etc.
Six months or so later Ann called ask if we had thought of about showing " now her original plan was coming to light". Of course we said no, that is a shame she said as she had entered “our baby” into the Southern Afghan Champion show, one of the biggest afghan breed shows in the country.
Not to let her down we went and now “pasha” was in the minor puppy class, first time for Sue and the dog, neither had a clue. Guess what came out winning with a first place rosette. this qualified us for Crufts in that class. Now well and truly hooked and friends with other little puppy owners we progressed to breeding our own and eventually because of this I packed up my job and we took on a boarding kennels and cattery.
We called it pasha after Margarets Champion white warrior " pasha" we had a baby Pasha. we got to know Margartet very wsell and went to her place just outside Oxford and the number of Afghan hounds she had, they were everywhere. Now Margaret was the type of person who didn’t part with her knowledge easily but I think we asked the right question and got on like a house on fire. In the Afghan world this was like being with royality.
