Known as the Poligar hound, Indian Sighthound or the Rajapalayam hound, they are one of the few Indian bred pedigree dogs that are as fierce as the national animal of the country. It is said that they are ‘bred to be your sentinel’ and will not fail at their guarding duties at any cost.
ORIGIN: As the name suggests, Rajapalayam finds the roots of its name in the small town of Rajapalayam, located in the Virudhungar district of Tamil Nadu.
As mentioned above it belongs to the list of the very few dogs that are Indian bred pedigree. At present there are only a few scattered places in Tamil Nadu where you can find this breed. It is also apparent that this breed is on the verge of extinction, and numerous efforts are being taken to promote breeding and popularising them across the country. One of the efforts to bring focus to this breed was putting them on postal stamps of many postcards.
The Rajapalayam was initially bred to be a vivacious hunter, having an immense appetite to impress their parents. it is said that they were bred by the Nayak dynasty of Tamil Nadu. There are a few scholars who believe that they bear a certain resemblance to the modern day Dalmatian but there are no records proving the same. These dogs were used as soldiers in the Carnatic and Polygar wars. They have also been guard dogs to local rice fields, houses and farms.
This breed is also known as the Poligar hound and the origin behind this name was that it was owned by the Poligar clans who occupied small areas in Southern India. They had a reputation for being fierce, aggressive and harmful dogs as a result of which they accompanied the clans as their attack dogs in their business of robbing people on the road.
DESCRIPTION: They are about 26-29 inches in height and weigh about 22-25 kg. They live for a span of 9-10 years.
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Denne historien er fra September-October 2019-utgaven av dogs & more.
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