About Greyhounds – History

The origin of the greyhound is deeply rooted in ancient history. Murals and paintings of dogs strikingly similar to today’s greyhound existed over 4,000 years ago. The greyhound was held in high regard by Egyptian Pharaohs, early Arabs, Greeks, Persians and Romans, and is the only canine mentioned in Holy Scripture (Proverbs 30:29-31). It is believed that greyhounds were introduced to the British Isles in the 5th and 6th century BC from Celtic mainland Europe.

In medieval England, noblemen were keen to own greyhounds for sport, and requested they be bred to color variants that made them easier to view and indentify in pursuit of their quarry. The lighter colors, patch-like markings and white appeared in the breed that was ordinarily gray in color.