Greyhound History history

Popularly, the breed's origin is believed to be traced to ancient Egypt, where a bas-relief depicting a smooth-coated Saluki (Persian Greyhound) or Sloughi was found in a tomb built in 4000 BC. Analyses of DNA reported in 2004, however, suggest that the greyhound is not closely related to these breeds, but is a close relative to herding dogs.

Historically, these sight hounds have been used primarily for hunting in the open where their keen eyesight is a distinct advantage. It is believed that they (or at least similarly-named dogs) were introduced to England in the 5th and 6th centuries BC from Celtic mainland Europe.

The name "greyhound" is generally believed to come from the Old English grighund. "Hund" is traced to the modern "hound", but the meaning of "grig" is undetermined, other than in reference to dogs in Old English and Norse. Its origin does not appear to have any common root with the modern word "grey" for colour, and indeed the greyhound is seen with a wide variety of coats.

According to Pokorny's Indogermanisches Woerterbuch (p. 441-442) the English name "greyhound" does not mean "a gray dog/hound", but simply "a fair dog". Subsequent words have been derived from the indoeuropean root *g'her- 'shine, twinkle': Eng. "gray", Old High German "gris" 'grey, old', Old Icelandic "griss" 'piglet, pig', Old Icld. "gryja" 'to dawn', "gryjandi" 'morning twilight', Old Irish "grian" 'sun', Old Church Slavonic "zorja" 'morning twilight, brightness'. The common sense of these words is 'to shine; bright'.

Until the early twentieth century, greyhounds were principally bred and trained for coursing. During the early 1920s, modern greyhound racing was introduced into the United States and introduced into United Kingdom and Ireland in 1926

Complete List
Afghan Hound	Airdale Terrier	African Wild Dog	Akita Inu	American Akita
Alaskan Malamute	American Cocker Spaniel	American Eskimo Dog	American Foxhound	American Staffordshire Terrier
American Water Spaniel	Anatolian Shepherd	Appenzeller Sennenhunde	Argentine Dogo	Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd	Australian Terrier	Azawakh	Basenji	Basset Hound
Beagle	Bearded Collie	Beauceron	Bedlington Terrier	Belgian Sheperd Dog (Laekenois)
Belgian Sheperd Dog (Malinois)	Belgian Sheepdog	Belgian Sheperd Dog (Tervuren)	Bergamasco	Bernese Mountain Dog
Bichon Frise	Black and Tan Coonhound	Black Russian Terrier	Bloodhound	Bluetick Coonhound
Border Collie	Border Terrier	Borzoi	Boston Terrier	Bouvier des Flandres
Boxer	Boykin Spaniel	Bracco Italiano	Briard	Brussels Griffon
Bulldog	Bullmastiff	Bull Terrier	Cairn Terrier	Canaan Dog
Cane Corso	Cardigan Welsh Corgi	Catahoula Leopard Dog	Caucasian Mountain Dog	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Cesky Terrier	Chesapeake Bay Retriever	Chihuahua	Chinese Crested Dog	Chinese Shar-Pei
Chinook	Chow Chow	Clumber Spaniel	Collie	Coton de Tulear
Curly Coated Retriever	Czechoslovakian Wolfdog	Dachshund	Dalmatian	Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Doberman Pinscher	English Bulldog	English Cocker Spaniel	English Fox Hound	English Setter
English Springer Spaniel	English Toy Spaniel	Field Spaniel	Finnish Spitz	Flat Coated Retriever
French Bulldog	German Pinscher	German Shepherd Dog	German Shorthaired Pointer	German Wirehaired Pointer
Giant Schnauzer	Glen of Imaal Terrier	Golden Retriever	Gordon Setter	Great Dane
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog	Great Pyrenees	Greyhound	Harrier	Havanese
Ibizan Hound	Irish Setter	Irish Terrier	Irish Water Spaniel	Irish Wolfhound
Italian Greyhound	Japanese Chin	Kerry Blue Terrier	Komondor	Kuvasz
Labrador Retriever	Lagotto Romagnolo	Lakeland Terrier	Lancashire Heeler	Leonberger
Lhasa Apso	L�wchen	Maltese	Manchester Terrier	Mastiff
Miniature Bull Terrier	Miniature Pinscher	Mudi	Neapolitan Mastiff	Newfoundland
Norfolk Terrier	Norwegian Buhund	Norwegian Elkhound	Norwegian Lundehund	Norwich Terrier
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever	Old English Sheepdog	Otterhound	Papillon	Parson Russell Terrier
Pekingese	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	Perro de Presa Canario	Peruvian Inca Orchid	Petit Basset Griffon Vend�en
Pharaoh Hound	Plott Hound	Pointer	Polish Lowland Sheepdog	Pomeranian
Poodle	Portuguese Podengo	Portuguese Water Dog	Pudelpointer	Pug
Puli	Pumi	Pyrenean Shepherd	Rafeiro do Alentejo	Rat Terrier
Redbone Coonhound	Rhodesian Ridgeback	Rottweiler	Saint Bernard	Saluki
Samoyed	Schipperke	Scottish Deerhound	Scottish Terrier	Sealyham Terrier
Shetland Sheepdog	Shiba Inu	Shih Tzu	Siberian Husky	Silky Terrier
Skye Terrier	Sloughi	Smooth Fox Terrier	Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier	Spinone Italiano
Stabyhoun	Staffordshire Bull Terrier	Standard Schnauzer	Sussex Spaniel	Swedish Vallhund
Thai Ridgeback	Tibetan Mastiff	Tibetan Spaniel	Tibetan Terrier	Tosa
Toy Fox Terrier	Treeing Tennessee Brindle	Treeing Walker Coonhound	Vizsla	Weimaraner
Welsh Springer Spaniel	Welsh Terrier	West Highland White Terrier	Whippet	Wire Fox Terrier
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon	Xoloitzcuintli	Yorkshire Terrier