13

Kyzyl Kum Salukis - Wendy & Brian Duggan, CaliforniaWe all are a little curious about who is Brian, his family and Salukis after the very interesting lectures at the breed conference in Ramnäs 2012. So I tried to put some questions, a lot of questions (!), so we can get a picture of Wendy and Brian Duggan and the Kyzyl Kum kennel across the Atlantic, living in the Californian sun. Together they have owned or breed over 77 Salukis, both smooth and feathered, with a total of 35 show Champions. In 1994 they got the American Saluki Association’s “Top Breeder Award”.

Brian is a AKC judge and has been for several years hunt-master for open field coursing and the Chairman for 14 years for Saluki Club of Greater San Francisco. He is the author of the award-winning book “Saluki: The Desert Hound and the English Travelers Who bought It to the West” and he has done some unique re-search of the old history of the breed.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your background?

Wendy: my family never had purebred dogs when I was growing up, but we always had some sort of mixed breed and we were a “doggy” family. I never got involved in showing until I met the Johnson family (Sesame Afghan Hounds) in the early 1970s. In my non-dog life, I am the Budget Manager for the Stanislaus County District Attorney (the prosecutor’s of-fice) and my other hobby is cooking, baking, and food in general (my father was a chef).

Brian: When I was a teenager, we had Irish Wolfhounds and one rescue Basset Hound (before IWs, we had mixed breeds and a Col-lie). Through my job at a veterinary clinic, I met the funk-rock band, Sly and the Family Stone and was hired to take care of their dogs when they were on tour. After college (film studies major), I worked as a motion-picture projec-tionist in cinemas, an audio-visual technician at a university, and later moved into informa-tion technology and management. I have a master’s degree in education and have made my career in university education for nearly thirty years. Currently, I work at California Sta-te University, Stanislaus where my staff and I assist faculty who want to improve their teach-ing with technology.

How did you become interested in dogs and especially Salukis?

Wendy: I became interested in sighthounds through the family with Afghan Hounds; Brian had Irish Wolfhounds from a young age until we became a couple in 1974, shortly after I got my first Saluki.

Brian: I knew very little about Salukis until I met Wendy and Shaheen. Compared with IWs, I thought Salukis were somewhat effemi-nate. When Wendy split with her fiancé – he kept the car, but she kept Shaheen and got me. I had always been sad that IWs don’t live very long and gradually began to appre-ciate the virtues of the Saluki. That was more than three decades ago. I still have affection for Wolfhounds – but now I think that a man should not own a dog whose testicles are big-ger than his own…

What was it in particular that attracted you to the breed?

Wendy: The sighthound sleekness, the intelli-gence, the general attitude of aristocracy, and of course the athleticism.

Interview by Katarina Petersson

Brian and Connell at a medieval re-enactment about 1974.

>>>

14

Brian: At first, I was only interested in Sha-heen because he was Wendy’s dog, but later, I grew to like Salukis because of their intel-ligence, athletic ability, their lack of serious health problems, and the fact that they take up much less room in the house than do Irish Wolfhounds. How, when and from whom did you acquire your first Saluki?

Wendy: I saw my first Saluki in 1973, a black and white parti-color bitch named Ch. Srina-gar Ramya Khinmara F.Ch. (Field Champion in lure coursing). She was a fabulous lure courser and I was very impressed. I had been involved with a family who bred, showed and lure coursed Afghan Hounds, but all that hair did not seem practical in the field. When I met “Mara” I knew I found what I was looking for, and wanted one just like her But I ended up with her grizzle son, Srinagar Shaheen of El-lora F.Ch., as my first Saluki in 1974. He was bred by Ann and Bud Pine (Ellora/Syr Darya) and Srinagar Kennels. Brian later co-owned Shaheen with me, but the first one that was “his” was Shaheen’s daughter - a grizzle parti-color with the very long name, Syr Darya Ra Tetso-ko Kyzyl Kum (our stud fee puppy from Bud Pine, in 1976).

How did you come up with your kennel name?

Wendy: we are both fans of the series of “Flashman” books by George MacDonald Fraser, which are historical fiction set around the world in the 19th century. In one of them, Captain Harry Flashman joins up with noma-dic warriors in the Kyzyl Kum in central Asia. It means “red desert” – we immediately liked the name and adopted it.

Where did your foundation stock come from?

Wendy: Primarily “old” Srinagar, with some Canadian/English added it. One of our two foundation bitches was Ch. Kenmar-Knoll Wamiqa Kyzyl Kum, who had a profound influ-

ence on our lines. We also added an English import, Glenoak Ildico, JC (Junior Courser), in the early 2002.

Who were the most important individuals, both people and hounds, in your breeding programme? Did you have a mentor when you started in the breed?

Wendy: Dr. Ken and Mary Ellen Gorske, who owned the sire of our first Saluki (and that dog was also the sire of our first litter) have been very generous with their time and knowledge over the years. They are now some of our ol-dest friends and Mary Ellen still accompanies me to the occasional dog show. I went with her to Skolkloster in 1998, when she judged, and that was my first introduction to Swedish Salukis - I was very impressed.Important hounds for our line include: Ch. Srinagar Sakuna Indra, Ch. Kenmar-Knoll Wamiqa Kyzyl Kum, American Canadian Ch. Elana Gold Ruler of Boxwyn, Kenmar Knoll Fir’awnu (who brought the smooth gene into our lines), Ch. Ziba Indus, and Glenoak Ildico J.C.

Brian: We were fortunate to have several conversations with Hope Waters in the 1980s and it was then that we met Diana Allan and her late husband, Ken, in England. They were very generous in sharing their breed knowled-ge with us and have been great friends ever since. In practical matters of Middle Eastern culture and history, and hunting jackrabbits in the California desert, we owe much to Sir Te-rence Clark and Herb Wells.

In your opinion, which Salukis impressed you most?

Wendy: in person, not from photos, it would have to be Ch. Srinagar Sakuna Indra; Ch. Issibaa’s Echo; Am Can Ch. Elana Gold Ruler of Boxwyn (in Canada), Ch. Ziba Indus; Ch. Shafaq Geshed el Gamir, Ch. El Cazzino Ca-jar, Am Can Ch. Windstorm Shalom Cabaret, Ch. Hound Hollow Halation, Ch. Daedelis Ritu Kumar. From photos, a number of the Glenoak dogs from the United Kingdom, Ch. Almanza

Kafiat, Ch. Rachael of Chandav, and many of the old West Coast Salukis from the 1960s and 70s.

Brian: Ch. Lusaki Pericles of Glenoak, Ch Al-Scheera Katulnas Amira (who I thought was a lovely Saluki – and later realized that she was smooth!) Glenoak Gushyar, Multi-Ch. Indra-khan Sawahin, and Ch. Dakira Sawahin, and the stunning Caryna Kleio of Glenoak.

Do you have any colour preference? Wendy: when judging, none at all. In my home, I like parti-colors, reds, fawns, grizz-les... but what we have now is a houseful of tricolors (black tan and white) because they were the best for our breeding program!

Brian: I like all colours and agree that in jud-ging Salukis, it does not matter as colour has no affect on their ability to hunt. In the field, a black & white parti-colour dog stands out bet-ter than other colours at a great distance, but that is a matter of practicality and not aesthe-tics.

Which of the Salukis you have bred come closest to your ideal? Ch. Kyzyl Kum Djaazrah and his brother Ch. Kyzyl Kum Djinn; Ch. Kyzyl Kum Naziir; Ch. Kyzyl Kum Najm Reed’s Oreo; Ch. Kyzyl Kum Omaille, Ch. Kyzyl Kum Phaedra (smooth), Ch. Kyzyl Kum Jinghani (smooth), and Ch. Kyzyl Kum Temujin (smooth); we co-bred Ch. Ziba’s Anastasia Bellatrix. In the field, Ch. Ky-zyl Kum Sinan SC CC CM (Senior Courser, Coursing Champion, Courser of Merit), was superior (as was his sire Naziir) although he was a little long bodied for the ideal. Ch. Basra Kyzyl Kum Telek (who we did not breed but both his sire and dam are Kyzyl Kum) was also an exceptional field dog.

What are your long range goals, and what do you select for? Wendy: as we come closer to the time when we will have to say “this is the last litter?”, we

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Firind and Ch. Kyzyl Kum Flyssa - our first smooths.One of our two foundation bitches, Ch. Kenmar Knoll Wamiqa Kyzyl Kum.

15

continue to try to keep both beauty and fun-ction—you can have both, Salukis don’t have to be ugly to run well, nor is it true that pretty Salukis cannot run and hunt. We would like to leave a nice foundation for someone else to build on, as we built from our foundation.

How important is function to you? Form versus function! How important do you think it is to preserve the functional as-pect? Wendy: it is of the utmost importance, but breed type must NOT be sacrificed. They should be of equal importance or it’s not a Sa-luki but a lurcher or generic sighthound.

I know you both course and show your Sa-lukis but have you experience with Salukis at the race track?

Wendy: No, never been on the track, Lure coursing and open field coursing only. That type of racing is not common in the United States.

Please tell us something about coursing or lure coursing and how often you take part in those activities? Brian: We were periodically active in lure coursing during the first ten years with our Sa-lukis but beginning in the mid-1980s, we were very active in open field coursing. I am an of-ficial hunt-master and have officiated at many coursing meets. We really enjoy being out in nature with our hounds and watching them do what they were born for. It is an excellent way to test your breeding stock and compare the standard to actual working Salukis.

About 2009, both of us started having some health problems which made it difficult to walk in the all-day hunts that are characteristic of California. Recently, our situation has impro-ved and we are hoping to get back out in the field with our Salukis for informal fun.

Have you noticed any gene links which are selective to specific characteristics?

Out-crossing, line-breeding, in-breeding. Your comments, please. Wendy: Our mentor, Mary Ellen Gorske, taught us that you should line breed for two or three generations and then go to an outcross. Occasionally, you can do a carefully considered inbreeding based on known strengths and weaknesses.

Wendy and her first Saluki, Shaheen.Ch. Kyzyl Kum Firind on our Christmas card, 1991.

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Najm Reed’s Oreo and her sire Djazzrah winning at Santa Barbara, 1994.

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Djinn - a magnificent fawn & white, parti-color.

>>>

16

When selecting a puppy, what are your cri-teria for selection?

Brian: Temperament, physical balance, sound movement, good bone, cleverness, confiden-ce, and a strong prey drive.

Any tips on rearing?

Brian: It is important to socialize young puppi-es so that they are not fearful when introduced to new circumstances. Socializing, combined with learning basic obedience commands, a bit of show training, and house manners make them good citizens and companions. For our dogs, they have to learn how to behave both as part of the pack and alone with Wendy or I.

How do you place your puppies? Have you sold puppies outside USA? Wendy: We once sent a puppy out of the U.S. to a wonderful home in Germany. He had a great life up until he was 9 years old but then after his owners divorced, he came back to live out the rest of his life with us.

Brian: for us, the home is the most important. We talk to prospective owners several times to make sure they understand not only the

wonderful things about owning Salukis but the problems as well. We like to visit the prospec-tive home if they have never had a Saluki to be sure it is a good environment - and we never let someone take home a puppy on a first vi-sit. They need think carefully and not make an impulsive decision. Once someone has one of our puppies they become part of our extended family and know that if they ever have a life-changing circumstance (divorce, illness, etc)., the Saluki can come back to us.

How do you manage your household, ie diet, exercise, manageable numbers?

Brian: We were not blessed with children so our Salukis are a major force in our lives. We currently have fourteen adults (raging in age from three to fifteen years) and two four-month old puppies. This is really more than our ideal number but we always seem to end up keep-ing at least two from each litter and recently we had three of our Salukis come back home to live with us (we should mention here that all of our puppy owners know that if their life circumstances change, the dogs can come back to us at any time and for any reason).

We live on 1.4 acres which is fenced for hor-ses and dogs. During the day, the dogs can

come and go from their kennels in the garage to the covered patio, to the inner yard (bitches in season and elderly dogs are kept separate from males and the rest of the pack). When we are home from work, we let them run loose in the paddock where they do a great job of exercising themselves. They have chased hare, feral cats, and birds on our property. The dogs love it when I go out to fix a fence or if Wendy and I are working in the garden, and they always come along to help. The Salukis take turns in the house with us, and the elders spend a lot of time on the couch.

The adults are fed a mixture of dry kibble and a portion of canned food mixed with warm wa-ter. Occasionally they get supplements such as yoghurt or cottage cheese. Puppies and el-derly dogs get extra meals. We try to pay regu-lar attention to their toenails, teeth, ears, anal glands. I learned how to suture simple wounds when I worked for the vet and, over the years, I’ve stitched up skin tears and holes.

What do you expect from your hounds fun-ctionally? Brian: Quite simply, we believe that a good Saluki who is in fit condition should be able to do a day’s work in the field, and then keep

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Oksana (litter sister to Ch. Kyzyl Kum Omaille)Ch. Kyzyl Kum Nimcha - (wearing her one opera glove!) Best in Sweepstakes.

Ch. Kyzyl Kum India.Ch. Kyzyl Kum Jinghani (Jingles).

17

us company on the couch while we watch a movie.What kind of experience is judging for you?

I know you Brian was judging in Mustiala, Fin-land 2008 and now recently in Australia.

Could you compare judging experiences in the different countries you have judged? Wendy: I have judged outside of the U.S. only once so far, in Canada, where I found their system to be very similar to ours. In both Sweden (with Mary Ellen) and Finland (with Brian) I also carefully studied the procedures with them. I find that the “critique” required in many countries to be a very good practice, but in the U.S., where the AKC wants you to judge a lot of dogs in a day (up to 175-200, depen-ding on the type of show), that would never be possible. I have judged, among others the Empire Saluki Club and Central Florida Saluki Association specialties, as well as a suppor-ted entry the day following Brian’s judging at the Willamette Valley Saluki Club’s specialty. I was out of the ring both for showing and jud-ging for a while due to foot surgery, but I am back showing and looking forward to my next judging assignment, the Huron Valley Saluki Club Specialty in July of 2013.

Brian: Outside of the United States, I have

been honored with judging assignments in Australia, Canada, England (three times), Fin-land, and New Zealand. It is always a great experience to see Salukis that are new to me and learn the different ring customs ac-cording to the country. While critiques are not usual here (apart from breed specialties and sweepstakes), from an educational point of view, I do think they provide valuable infor-mation to the exhibitor/owner. People have always been very gracious to me and proud to show off both their Salukis and their country.

Have you seen any significant changes in Salukis during your years in the breed?

Brian: The acceptance of smooths (and bet-ter specimens of them), and in the U.S., more interest in Saluki performance events. A huge change for the breed in the last hundred years is the increasing ease of being able to import a Saluki directly from the Middle East.

What are the most important breed charac-teristics to keep in mind for anyone wan-ting to become a good Saluki judge? Brian: A thorough knowledge of the country’s Saluki standard, an understanding of its ori-ginal purpose, breed type and its acceptable variations, and sound, effortless movement. Also, a judge should know that Salukis are not

“show robots” and often require patience.

Please mention some of your highlights from the show ring with your own Salukis? Wendy: Brian, showing our Naziir, won Win-ners Dog and Best of Opposite Sex at the 1993 Saluki Club of America National Spe-cialty, with a total entry of almost 500 (110 “class” dogs-non-champions and about 70 male champions). Brian also has won a num-ber of Winners awards at specialties over the years, and recently won Best in Specialty with our co-owned Ch. Kyzyl Kum Znapur.

My highlights would be winning Winners Bitch and Best of Opposite Sex at the 1998 National with our Omaille (total entry 400+), and hand-ling both Jinghani and her son Temujin to Best in Specialty wins. Our Ch. Kyzyl Kum Sinan SC, CC, CM, was both a show champion and an open field coursing champion – which we think an excellent example of a successful breeding program.

Dogs of our breeding that we happily watched win significant awards include Ch. Kyzyl Kum Phaedra (owned by Bill and Chris Lewis) who was Best in Specialty at the 2002 Saluki Club of America National Specialty – the first and only smooth to ever do so – and a Best in Specialty win for Ch. Kyzyl Kum Najm Reed’s

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Sinan, SC, CC, CM - one of our smartest and most empathetic dogs and a very strong, smart open field courser.

Glenoak Ildico - imported from England in 2002.

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Djazzrah - an important sire in our line. Ch. Kyzyl Kum Naziir - he did very well in both ring and field.

>>>

18

Omaille-BOS-SCOA

Ghazi+Temujin

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Phaedra FCH - the first smooth to win the Saluki Club of America National Specialty.

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Djinn and Ch. Kyzyl Kum Djemma’s daughter, Ch. Kyzyl Kum Omaille - Best Opposite of Sex at the SCOA National Specialty.

19

Ch. Basra Kyzyl Kum Telek - the alpha dog in our pack. He also did well in both ring and field.

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Jinghani (Jingles) in the field.

Brian with Warren Cook’s Hilynn’s Santana Boushra SM, CC, CM, and Ch. Kyzyl Kum Sinan in the field. (picture below)

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Temujin at 7 months.

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Ghazi (feathered) at 7 months and his son Ch. Kyzyl Kum Temujin (smooth)

>>>

20

Oreo (owned by the Skupny family) as well as a very memorable Best in Specialty win for Ch. Ziba’s Anastasia Bellatrix (owned by Jen-nifer Fox and Ray George, and co-bred by us and the Skupnys).

Please tell us something about your new litter and if you have any plans for the fu-ture?

Brian: They were born on October 24th - just two days after I returned from the 2012 Saluki Raskonferensen (Ch. Kyzyl Kum India was two days over due and Wendy says that de-liberately waited for me!). Their father is Kyzyl Kum Tipu Sultan - a smooth, black & white parti-colour.

We had one feathered, grizzle girl (Hetaera) and three smooths - a tri-male (Hannibal),

tri-girl (Olivia), and a grizzle girl (Hafeedah). Hetaera and Olivia are already in their new homes. We are keeping Hafeedah and still looking for the right home for young Hannibal.

Do you have any advice for newcomers in our breed? Brian: There is a temptation to want to be come an “instant expert” but Salukis can only be understood with a lot of time spent in study, observation, and talking to real experts. There is no shame in admitting that you do not know something as long as you then make the effort to learn it.

How many litters have you breed?

Wendy: We have bred 15 litters (one co-bred) since 1983; we co-bred one additional litter

with the Skupnys (Ziba). We bred our first litter with smooths in 1988. From these litters we’ve bred around 35 conformation champions (and there are three more that almost have their tit-les completed, and two other just starting to be shown), various lure coursing titles, and some open field coursing titles.

And have you imported Salukis or co-ow-ned some over the years?

Wendy: In 2002, we imported Glenoak Ildico JC from Dr. John and Lisa Hudson in England. It turned out that Brian had judged both her parents in England and given them top prizes in two different shows, so importing her was a logical choice for our breeding program. Ildico was not shown due to a puppy-hood injury, but she has produced two excellent litters for us and is the smartest Saluki we’ve ever had.

Three of our five generations of champion smooths: Ch. Kyzyl Kum Flyssa, Ch. Kyzyl Kum Patissa,

and Kyzyl Kum Pat Benatar (Bebe).

Ch. Kyzyl Kum Znapur & sister Kyzyl Kum Zanoubia.

Litter brothers Ch. Kyzyl Kum Takezo and Ch. Kyzyl Kum Tameem Faraj.

21

We also went to Canada to breed to Am Can Ch. Elana Gold Ruler of Boxwyn, in 1990. This mating produced our Dj litter which is behind almost everything we have today.

And for Brian – what do you think is the most fascinating about the history of the Saluki? Have you discovered something in your research about the breed that surpri-sed you very much?

I am continually amazed at where Salukis turn up in history and how little the breed have changed over the centuries. I thought I knew nearly everything about the early Salukis in America, but since I left Sweden, I’ve disco-vered that they were actually first imported to this country by an American Naval officer in 1833 - many decades earlier than had been recorded. He brought Salukis here from Tur-key and tried to make them a popular breed. There is even an excellent painting of one of his Salukis and she would fit right in to any show ring today!

Have you been traveling in the countries of origin for the Saluki?

Brian: Regrettably, neither Wendy or I have yet to visit the Middle East but very much hope to some day.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

You’ve been so thorough with your questions, there can’t be much left for us to say. We are very honored to be interviewed for Salukibla-det and hope that your club members will find this worthwhile. Tack!

Kyzyl Kum Ai-Khanoum (Aiha) winning Best of Breed.

Kyzyl Kum Pat Benatar (Bebe) and Kyzyl Kum Tipu Sultan.Wendy picking persimmons with Kyzyl Kum Zanoubia.

22

90th Anniversary of UK Saluki or Gazelle Hound ClubBy Ann Shimmin, Cranstal Salukis

During 2013 a series of events are being held to celebrate the 90 years that the Saluki or Ga-zelle Hound Club has been in existence. As the oldest Saluki Club in the world the present day members are justifiably proud of its history a very brief summary of which - relating to the Club’s formative days - I have included below.

1923. The Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club was formed at a meeting held during Crufts Dog Show at the Agricultural Hall, Islington. Lon-don on 8th February, 1923. 14 people were present and at this inaugural gathering the Standard of Points was discussed. On 22nd February, 1923 the founder members agreed the Standard of Points and Club Rules, The Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club being officially recognised by the KC on 24th April, 1923. Challenge Certificates were granted by KC on 17th July, 1923.

The Club Register for 1923 showed that the-re were 20 dogs and 23 bitches. It was also noted that there were four litters not shown on register which consisted of 35 puppies. There were additionally seven salukis owned by non-members, plus five in quarantine and three due to arrive in the following months.

The initial committee consisted of Presi-dent: The Hon Florence Amherst (Amherstia), Vice President: Brigadier F. Lance (Sarona), Treasurer: Mr. L. Crouch (Orchard), Secretary: Mrs. G. Lance (Sarona). The committee con-sisting of the following members Mrs. L. Arm-

strong (Abbotsford), Mrs. L. Crouch (Orchard), Miss M. Grey (Greyhill), Major Jardine, Miss Kerrison (Iraq), Miss F. J. Mitchell (Nablous) and Lieut. A. R. Spargin. Miss Doxford (Ruri-tania) was an early Club member.

The first Challenge Certificates were awar-ded at a Kennel Club Show which was held at Crystal Palace, London on 3rd to 4th Oc-tober 1923. The CC’s on offer were won by Sarona Kelb (DCC) owned by Brigadier and Mrs. Lance whilst Orchard Shahin owned by Mrs. Crouch won the BCC. Shahin went on to become the first saluki to complete her title whilst Kelb was the first dog to gain his crown.

1924. 19 litters were bred by members and Club membership increased to 51. First mem-bers show was held on 6th July at St. Johns Lodge, Regent Park, London. There were 111 entries from 15 exhibitors.

1925. First Coursing Meeting was held. Salukis were exported to USA, Sweden and France.

The Early Enthusiasts. Whilst I was resear-ching some of the early history I was impres-sed to note that at the first two meetings the fledgling committee completed the following actions - before managing to get the Club re-gistered with the KC by 24th April!

• Sorted out the name Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club

• Organised the application to KC for registra-tion, • Set up the Rules (provisional)• Agreed a standard for the breed (also pro-visional). The standard being finally agreed upon on 23rd June, 1923 having been altered to 23 – 28 inches instead of the 24 -28 inches proposed in the initial standard.

I was also interested to observe that it appears that virtually everyone out of the 14 at the ini-tial meeting ended up either as an Officer or a committee member. This brought to mind the comment made when we first started showing our dogs. It was ‘if you don’t want to end up on the committee – don’t go to the AGM’. Ob-viously very little has changed in this respect since 1923.

Having to concentrate on remembering what I already knew about the early 1920’s started me thinking about how this group of somewhat disparate people brought together purely by their love of salukis appeared to have been galvanised into action by basically the dy-namism and drive of one man - Brigadier F. Lance. We have all heard of Kelb/Sarona/ Bri-gadier Lance - with justification. He establis-hed the saluki as a presence in the UK. And from there - to coin a phrase so popular today ‘it all went global’. Puppies from the Sarona’s fourth litter born on 23rd April 1924 by Kataf ex Nada being exported to Sweden (Shuna) America (Said) Germany (Yasmin) and Fran-ce (Shahzada). Further exports followed.

Brig Gen Lance - Sarona Gulbaz - The judge Miss G. Lindroth Members’ Show Tattersalls 1931.