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This is Diego. He is a Pharaoh Hound. Most people have never heard of nor seen a Pharaoh Hound, so we thought he was a great opportunity for our readers to get to know the breed!

Pharaoh Hounds are often called sight hounds, but they are just in the "hound" category. They are the national hound for the island of Malta, which is a Mediterranean nation. So although they may have a head like Anubis, and a name that suggests Egyptian origin, that is not the case. They were originally bred to hunt rabbits by indicating they have found one and then allowing their owners to set a ferret in after the rabbit's den.

Miraculously this breed has no known genetic diseases that is often seen with breeds today that have irresponsibly bred. The reasons are that Pharaoh's are expensive to breed, and most Pharaoh breeders are very responsible in testing the parents often for any diseases.

In my experience with Diego he has exemplified all the characteristic traits that Pharaoh's are described to have, such as being intelligent, playful and active. He rarely barked when I was caring for him and seemed happy to just be by my side when I was walking him, and even invented a little game of hide & seek when we were in the house!

Some interesting facts about the breed include: it is the only known breed that "blushes" when excited! You will see a noticeable reddening of the nose and ears. They are very sensitive to regular shampoos, and should be washed with baby shampoo, although they are very clean dogs normally and have no odor when wet. They have a strong prey drive and should never be let off the leash. Pharaoh Hounds can scale a 5 foot fence, as they are adept at jumping--which also makes them great agility dogs.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about this awesome breed! If you are interested in rescuing a Pharaoh Hound you can find more information on the Pharaoh Hound Club of America website: http://www.ph-club.org/