By: Cleo Newton

Greyhounds have been around for a very long time. They have around 8000 years worth of history.

According to Gapsa.org.au, Greyhounds are the oldest purebred dog breed dating back to the time of Pharaohs. They have shown up in the ‘Bible’, and in Greek and Roman mythology. This breed was very much admired and respected, and only royalty and people of noble status were allowed to have them.

Many famous historical people have owned this breed of dog such as Queen Elizabeth I and Christopher Columbus. Even Shakespeare wrote about them in ‘Henry V’.

Greyhounds almost went extinct in the Middle Ages during times of famine. Luckily, they were protected and saved by clergymen who bred them for nobility. King Howel of Wales made killing a Greyhound punishable by death in the 10th century. If commoners were found owning a Greyhound, they would be severely punished and unfortunately for the dog, it would get its toes lawed, which would include removing the middle toes, to stop it from hunting.

Greyhounds have a high prey drive which is why people use them hunting (unfortunately even today). Greyhounds are the fastest domesticated dog and based on Dailypaws.com, they can run at speeds up to 40-45 mph. Those who hunt with Greyhounds prefer to own ones with brindle, fawn, red, or black fur.

It’s the complete opposite for nobles though. They favored the ones with white and spotted fur. This was so that if their dog was to ever escape, it would be easier to spot it in a forest.

It wasn’t until around the 1700s that Greyhounds became a dog that not only nobility were allowed to own. Did you know that every purebred greyhound can be traced back to just one dog back in the late 1930s, King Cob? King Cob was born in England in 1839. He was the first dog available for public stud service as stated by Racecourse.co.uk.

According to Ngap.org, Greyhounds started being used for racing in 1919. I think that Greyhound racing is not a sport that should be supported, many of them die in the process.

After reading this article, I hope you’ve learned a few things about my favorite breed of dog and maybe even considered adopting one yourself.