Known locally as the Cirneco dell’Etna, and sometimes called the Sicilian Hound, this ancient breed has existed for centuries on the island of Sicily where it is employed to hunt rabbit, bare and ground-birds.
Looking like a smaller version of the Pharaoh Hound that inhabits the Maltese Islands 80 miles (130 km) to the south of Sicily, this pure breed has also enjoyed an existence free of outside interference. As a result, it is virtually unaltered since the time of its introduction by Phoenician traders some 3,000 years ago. It has the lean, streamlined shape of a greyhound, except for its huge, upright ears that stand as tall as its face. Its fawn-red coat is short and may show small of patches of white.
In height the Sicilian Greyhound stands at about 18 in (46 cm), compared with 23 in (58 cm) for the Pharaoh Hound. This lighter build may be related to the fact that it has been specialized for hill-coursing on the slopes of Mount Etna hence its local name. Because of its smaller size, it has been suggested that it would make a more convenient pet dog for anyone who wanted an ‘Egyptian-style’ sighthound. But despite this, it has become an increasingly rare breed, proving far less popular abroad than the closely related, but much bigger Pharaoh Hound and Ibizan Hound.
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