Also known as the Kangaroo Hound or the Australian Greyhound, this large sighthound was developed to pursue wallabies and kangaroos in the Australian outback. When an example arrived at the London Zoo in 1839, it was labelled as a Kangaroo Greyhound. It has also been recorded as the Kangoeroehond or the Australische Windhond.
Described as ‘the great Australian hunter’, this giant greyhound was created for the difficult task of chasing large marsupials. It was also used to catch emu and — in a case of canine treachery — to run down and kill native Dingoes. In order to produce a dog capable of these heavy duties, imported greyhounds were crossed with Deerhounds and Irish Wolfhounds. This helped to increase the breed’s size and its strength. A typical greyhound registers 65 lb (29 kg), while a Kangaroo Dog weighs up to 80 lb (36 kg). The crosses also gave the Australian dog a rougher, more protective coat.
This impressive animal became a favourite with outback farmers. It gave them several important advantages: it controlled the ‘farm pests’, which was how they viewed the local fauna; it allowed them to hunt and kill without the use of guns, helping them to conserve their precious powder and shot; it provided them with delicious marsupial meat; and it allowed their imported sheep to graze without competition from the grass- eating marsupials.
Despite its popularity as a working breed, it was hardly ever introduced into the show-ring. An exception occurred in 1864, when the Prince of Wales exhibited a pair as a curiosity at the Second International Show in London. But, because it did not become established as a registered breed, the Kangaroo Dog eventually became a great rarity. When the killing of native marsupials became restricted by law, it inevitably began to vanish and is now almost extinct.
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