Kangaroo dog

The kangaroo dog or kangaroo hound is an Australian type of sighthound purposely crossbred from a variety of sighthound breeds to produce a hunting dog.

Kangaroo dog
Kangaroo dog ca. 1915
Other namesAustralian greyhound
bush greyhound
kangaroo greyhound
kangaroo hound
staghound
OriginAustralia
Foundation stockCombination of various sighthound breeds
Breed statusNot recognised as a breed by any major kennel club.
Traits
Coat Smooth-haired or coarse-haired
Colour Black, brindle and bicolour common
Dog (domestic dog)

Kangaroo dogs were first bred by colonial settlers in Australia from as early as the 1830s, the aim being to create a sighthound fast, strong and robust enough to outrun, catch and hold a kangaroo without being injured or disembowelled by the animal's powerful, clawed hind legs.[1][2][3] From the 1830s onward, colonial hunting clubs were established across Australia's colonies, with native kangaroos, wallabies or dingoes pursued by mounted hunters and their kangaroo dogs.[1][4] Originally, these dogs were bred from British sighthound breeds, principally the Greyhound and Scottish Deerhound, with occasional Irish Wolfhound blood; later, the Borzoi was also used, whilst more recently the Saluki was added as well.[1][2][3][5]

Hunting of native species with sighthounds is now banned in Australia; however, kangaroo dogs are still bred for hunting invasive introduced species, such as feral pigs and red foxes.

See also

References
  1. Alderton, David (2000). Hounds of the World. Shrewsbury: Swan Hill Press. p. 124. ISBN 1-85310-912-6.
  2. Hancock, David (2012). Sighthounds: their form, their function and their future. Ramsbury, Marlborough: The Crowood Press Ltd. pp. 104–105. ISBN 978-1-84797-392-4.
  3. Mason, Walter E. (1915). Dogs of all nations. San Francisco: The Panama-Pacific International Exposition. pp. 40 & 123.
  4. Gelder, Ken; Weaver, Rachael (31 August 2018). "Friday essay: the art of the colonial kangaroo hunt". The Conversation. The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  5. Fogle, Bruce (2009). The encyclopedia of the dog. New York: DK Publishing. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-7566-6004-8.
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