This breed is sometimes referred to as the Russian Greyhound or the Eastern Greyhound. The name ‘Chortai’ is sometimes spelled `Chortaf. It is still used today in its original role, as a sight-hunting hound of the Russian steppes.
Developed from two now-extinct Russian breeds, the Krymskaja and the Gorskaja, this streamlined dog looks like a cross between a typical greyhound and a short-coated Borzoi. It is employed in the traditional hunting style, with the huntsman on horseback accompanied by a brace of dogs and a falcon.
A little-known animal outside its homeland, the Chortai has been declared ‘a breed worthy of preservation’. One was exhibited at the London Zoo in 1829, under the name of Russian Greyhound, but it does not appear to have been imported again after that early date.
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