In
this interview with my friend Mohammed Saeed Al-Amiri from Al Ain, we will talk
about the hunting dog Saluki; he has four of them.
1) Tell me about your start and what this
particular sport is?
Al-Amiri -
I think my beginning was 1983 where I went with my father for a hunting trip
with the Sheikh from Al Ain, and I saw in that trip how the Sheikh was taking
care of the dogs and his love for them, and when I asked my father about the
reason of this interest to this type of dog, he told me that these dogs have
several features such as: speed, stamina and do not rely on smell to pursue the
prey, but on the strength of a look ... etc. This thing made me interested in
these dogs and then I tried to identify them more closely.
2) What information have you obtained since
you started?
Al-Amiri –
There is a lot of information but if you want to know if it is good dog or not,
you focus on:
Superfamily:
Hound - Hound Dog.
Average
Age: 10-12 years.
Height:
58-71 cm.
Weight:
13-30 kg.
Types:
Al Hoss (smooth) - Rishi (with fur).
Colors:
almost all colors.
Speed
can be reached up to 65 - 70 Km/h.
3) Where dogs the Saluki come from?
Al-Amiri –
Saluki came from several places such as France, England, Italy, Spain, Africa
and others, but the Arabian came from Suluq city in Yemen, where they are
famous for hunting and breeding good hunting dogs.
4) How many breeds of Saluki are there?
Al-Amiri –
There are a lot of breeds and types like:
a) Authentic Arab Saluki (Greyhound).
It
is divided into two types:
• Hoss: - with a light fur all over his
body.
• Rishi: - with the fur somewhat heavy
and concentrated on the ears, tail, limbs and front of chest.
b) Saluki (Sloughi).
It
is only one type:
• Hoss: - with a light fur all over his
body.
c) Saluki (Tazy).
It
is only one type:
• Rishi: - with the fur somewhat heavy
and concentrated on the ears, tail, limbs and front of chest but it is more
than the Arabian Saluki because of cold environment that he lived in.
d) Saluki (Azawakh).
It
is only one type:
• Hoss: - with a light fur all over his
body.
5) Where do you go to do this sport?
Al-Amiri –
Everywhere in the UAE, but often limited to Sheikhs and the rich people,
because these dogs require special care and are sometimes costly.
6) What about these days is there a change?
Al-Amiri –
Yes, there is a big change now, because the government has supported this sport
by opening clubs and establishing running tracks for Saluki racing; then they
gave great prizes and value to maintain the continuity of the sport; because of
that now there are a lot of people doing this sport.
7) Well my friend do you want to add
something else?
Al-Amiri –
No, thank you for giving me a chance to talk about the Saluki.
Thank you very much and I appreciate your
cooperation in this interview.
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