This breed is known in its native Malta as the Kelb tal Fennec, wbicb means Rabbit Dog. It was developed as a sighthound by Maltese farmers for bunting rabbits.
The Pharaoh Hound has been well known in Malta and Gozo for centuries as the local farmer’s dog, employed in the more remote rural districts for hunting the elusive orange-coloured island rabbits. Until the late 1960s it had been largely scorned by the island’s show-dog enthusiasts. It was so familiar to them that it was always passed over at local dog shows in favour of more exotic, imported pedigree dogs. Then, in 1968, a British enthusiast realized its potential and imported eight examples to England, where their striking appearance and proud demeanour soon attracted serious attention. It was felt that the traditional name of Maltese Rabbit Dog did not do it justice, so a more romantic tide was sought.
It was known that the Phoenicians had visited the Maltese Islands in ancient times and had been active traders throughout the Mediterranean region. It had also been noted that the Rabbit Dog was remarkably similar to the depictions of houndlike dogs on the wall paintings and carvings of ancient Egypt. It was therefore decided to link the Maltese dog with the early Egyptian ones by giving it the more dignified tide of Pharaoh Hound. There is no hard evidence to support this connection, but it makes an appealing story and may even be true, since the Maltese Dog is remarkably true-breeding and certainly appears to have been isolated on the islands over a very long period. When future DNA-analysis techniques are applied to dog breeds to settle matters of relationship, it will be interesting to see if DNA taken from mummified ancient Egyptian dogs matches closely with that taken from modern Pharaoh Hounds.
There are very similar breeds to be found on the nearby islands of Sicily and Ibiza and also on the Portuguese and Spanish mainlands. The existence of these four breeds the Sicilian Hound, the Ibizan Hound, the Portuguese Podengo and the Spanish Greyhound respectively strongly supports the idea that the Phoenicians were actively trading in Egyptian dogs around this general region in ancient times.
With its huge, erect ears, its slender, elegant outline and its noble bearing, it is little wonder that this breed has graduated so quickly from a humble farmer’s rabbiter to a glamorous show dog. In personality it is an alert, agile dog, affectionate and with high intelligence.
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