Pariah dog
Encyclopedia
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
of a particular type
Dog type
Dog types are broad categories of dogs based on function, with dogs identified primarily by specific function or style of work rather than by lineage or appearance....
, but it is now used by the United Kennel Club
United Kennel Club
The United Kennel Club is the second oldest all-breed registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States and the second largest in the world. According to the website, the club records 250,000 registrations annually. The UKC is not part of the International Canine Organisation, Fédération...
to refer to a purebred dog
Purebred
Purebreds, also called purebreeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding...
category.
Feral dogs of India
Pariah-feral dogs are typically medium-sized and have yellow to rust-colored coats. It was once thought that Indian feral dogs were the ancestral stock of Australian dingoes, but a 2004 Swedish study of mitochondrial DNAMitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
found that dingoes originated from southern China, not from India.
The Sighthound & Pariah Group
The United Kennel ClubUnited Kennel Club
The United Kennel Club is the second oldest all-breed registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States and the second largest in the world. According to the website, the club records 250,000 registrations annually. The UKC is not part of the International Canine Organisation, Fédération...
(United States) recognizes purebred dogs bred for chasing large game in the Sighthound & Pariah Group
Sighthound & Pariah Group
Sighthound & Pariah Group is the name of a breed Group of dogs, used by the United Kennel Club to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. Sighthound & Pariah Group dogs are not all of the same dog type and may even be of different species or subspecies The Fédération Cynologique...
. Included in this group are breeds that are either of early origin or modern reconstructions of early breeds or types. The group includes the Afghan Hound
Afghan Hound
The Afghan Hound is one of the oldest sighthound dog breeds. Distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat and its tail with a ring curl at the end, the breed acquired its unique features in the cold mountains of Afghanistan, where it was originally used to hunt hares and gazelles by coursing them....
, Azawakh
Azawakh
The Azawakh is a sighthound dog breed from Africa.-Appearance:Morphology is very similar to that of the Middle Eastern and South Indian sight hounds, all swift, high-bred coursing hounds, although there are several obvious differences. For example, a short, flat back combined with long legs place...
, Basenji
Basenji
The Basenji is a breed of hunting dog that was bred from stock originating in central Africa. Most of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world place the breed in the Hound Group; more specifically, it may be classified as belonging to the sighthound type...
, Borzoi
Borzoi
The borzoi is a breed of domestic dog also called the Russian wolfhound and descended from dogs brought to Russia from central Asian countries. It is similar in shape to a greyhound, and is also a member of the sighthound family.The system by which Russians over the ages named their sighthounds...
, Canaan Dog
Canaan Dog
The Canaan dog is a Canaanite breed of dog which may have existed in the eastern Mediterranean seaboard for millennia, as referenced in ancient sculptures.-Appearance:...
, Carolina Dog
Carolina Dog
The Carolina Dog, or American Dingo, is a landrace or naturally selected type of dog which was discovered living as a wild dog or free roaming dog by Dr Lehr.J. Brisbin. CDs are now bred and kept in captive collections or packs. They were discovered during the 1970s living in isolated stretches...
, Chart Polski
Chart Polski
The Polish Greyhound is a Polish sighthound breed. It is known as the Polish Greyhound, although it is not a direct relative of the Greyhound dog.-Appearance:...
(Polish Greyhound
Chart Polski
The Polish Greyhound is a Polish sighthound breed. It is known as the Polish Greyhound, although it is not a direct relative of the Greyhound dog.-Appearance:...
), Cirneco dell'Etna
Cirneco dell'Etna
The Cirneco dell'Etna is a small breed of dog originally from Sicily. This hound was historically used to hunt rabbits and can work for hours without food or water. The breed also has a keen sense of smell and is primarily built for endurance over harsh terrain such as that of Mount Etna...
, Greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
, Hungarian Greyhound, Ibizan Hound
Ibizan Hound
The Ibizan Hound , pronounced "I-bee-zan" or "I-beeth-an", is a lean, agile dog of the hound family. There are two hair types of the breed: smooth and wire. The more commonly seen type is the smooth...
, Irish Wolfhound
Irish Wolfhound
The Irish wolfhound is a breed of domestic dog , specifically a sighthound. The name originates from its purpose rather than from its appearance...
, New Guinea Singing Dog
New Guinea Singing Dog
The New Guinea Singing Dog is a wild dog once found throughout New Guinea. New Guinea Singing Dogs are named for their unique howl....
, Pharaoh Hound
Pharaoh Hound
The Pharaoh Hound is a breed of dog and the national hound of the Mediterranean nation of Malta. Its native name is Kelb tal-Fenek in Maltese, which means "rabbit hound". The dog is the traditional hunting companion of Maltese outdoorsmen. The breed has no conclusive links with Ancient Egypt and...
, Portuguese Podengo
Portuguese Podengo
The Portuguese Podengo is an ancient multi-sensory hound breed of dog from Portugal. The Podengo comes in three sizes that are not interbred - small , medium and large , each size with two hair coats and its own unique temperament.All three sizes love to hunt, its tradition in their native...
, Rhodesian Ridgeback
Rhodesian Ridgeback
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a dog breed developed in Southern Africa, where it was used to hunt Lions. This is most likely why this dog is known for its bravery...
, Saluki
Saluki
The Saluki, also known as the Royal Dog of Egypt and Persian Greyhound is one of the oldest known breeds of domesticated dog. From the period of the Middle Kingdom onwards, Saluki-like animals appear on the ancient Egyptian tombs of 2134 BC. They have connections both to the Bible and Imperial...
, Scottish Deerhound
Scottish Deerhound
The Scottish Deerhound, or simply the Deerhound, is a breed of hound , once bred to hunt the Red Deer by coursing.- Appearance :The Scottish Deerhound resembles a rough-coated Greyhound. It is however, larger in size and bone...
, Silken Windhound
Silken Windhound
The Silken Windhound is a rare American breed of dog, a member of the sighthound family.-Appearance:The Silken Windhound is a graceful, small to medium-sized sighthound with a moderately long silky coat. This breed owes its unique appearance, elegant build, and the athleticism of a true coursing...
, Sloughi
Sloughi
The Sloughi is a North African breed of dog, specifically a member of the sighthound family. It is found in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Sloughis are likely closely related to the Azawakh, but not to the Saluki .-Appearance:...
, Spanish Greyhound, Thai Ridgeback
Thai Ridgeback
The Thai Ridgeback is an ancient breed of dog. The breed was formerly unknown outside of Thailand, but is gaining notice in the Western world. The Thai Ridgeback is one of only three breeds that has a ridge of hair that runs along its back in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat...
, Whippet
Whippet
The Whippet is a breed of dog in the sighthound family. They are active and playful and are physically similar to a small Greyhound.- Description :...
, and Xoloitzcuintli.
In place of "pariah" (pariah is derived from the Tamil word paraiyar, first used in English in 1613 to refer to the lowest level of the traditional Indian caste system; in English, it is used to mean "social outcast"), most registries
Kennel club
A kennel club is an organization for canine affairs that concerns itself with the breeding, showing and promotion of more than one breed of dog...
, other than United Kennel Club, use the term "primitive
Primitive
Primitive may refer to:* Anarcho-primitivism, an anarchist critique of the origins and progress of civilization* Primitive culture, one that lacks major signs of economic development or modernity...
" (primitive in the sense of "relating to an earliest or original stage or state" or "being little evolved from an early ancestral type") to refer to pariah-type dogs. The American Rare Breed Association, for example, places its Pariah-type dogs within a breed group designated "Spitz and Primitive."
Varieties of pariah dogs
Populations of pariah dogs are distributed in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, Southeast China, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Borneo, United States, Korea, and the Philippines.The Carolina Dog
Carolina Dog
The Carolina Dog, or American Dingo, is a landrace or naturally selected type of dog which was discovered living as a wild dog or free roaming dog by Dr Lehr.J. Brisbin. CDs are now bred and kept in captive collections or packs. They were discovered during the 1970s living in isolated stretches...
found in the southeastern United States of America is one example of a pariah-type feral dog. The Carolina Dog closely resembles feral dogs found in deserts of middle eastern countries. Both the desert dog (known as the Canaan Dog
Canaan Dog
The Canaan dog is a Canaanite breed of dog which may have existed in the eastern Mediterranean seaboard for millennia, as referenced in ancient sculptures.-Appearance:...
) and Carolina Dog are recognized as purebred by major registries.
All strains of pariah dogs are at risk of losing their genetic uniqueness by interbreeding with purebred and mixed-breed strays. To insure against this, some strains of pariah dogs are becoming formally recognized, registered, and pedigreed breeds as their fanciers attempt to preserve the pure type.
All pariah dogs are feral, but not all feral dogs are pariah dogs in the genetic sense. Though they are outcasts in the social sense, and thus may still be called pariahs by observers who are not dog fanciers, feral dogs may be of any breed or mix of breeds. The individuals may be stray pets, or descended from strays, or from litters dumped in wild or rural areas by irresponsible owners. They may form packs with other strays or attempt to join existing canid packs (such as a wolf pack).
While pariah dogs are by definition feral, pariah-type dogs are not necessarily feral (wild dog populations which have not been re-domesticated), as well as recognized dog breeds with pariah dog heritage.
Readers of a literary but non-canine bent will recognize "a pack of pariah dogs" from Saki (H.H. Munro)
Saki
Hector Hugh Munro , better known by the pen name Saki, and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirised Edwardian society and culture. He is considered a master of the short story and often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy...
's brief story, "The Open Window".
See also
- Canaan DogCanaan DogThe Canaan dog is a Canaanite breed of dog which may have existed in the eastern Mediterranean seaboard for millennia, as referenced in ancient sculptures.-Appearance:...
- New Guinea Singing DogNew Guinea Singing DogThe New Guinea Singing Dog is a wild dog once found throughout New Guinea. New Guinea Singing Dogs are named for their unique howl....
- DingoDingoThe Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
- Carolina DogCarolina DogThe Carolina Dog, or American Dingo, is a landrace or naturally selected type of dog which was discovered living as a wild dog or free roaming dog by Dr Lehr.J. Brisbin. CDs are now bred and kept in captive collections or packs. They were discovered during the 1970s living in isolated stretches...
- Free-ranging urban dogFree-ranging urban dogFree-ranging urban dog refers to populations of stray dogs on the streets of urban areas, especially the cities of India, the former Soviet Union, the Balkans and Latin America .-Stray dogs:...
(strays) - NureongiNureongiThe Nureongi also spelled Noo-rung-yee is a yellowish dog landrace from Korea. It is most often used as a livestock dog, raised for its meat and not commonly kept as a pet.-Terminology:This dog has no formal name...
- Indian pariah dogIndian pariah dogThe Indian pariah dog is a purebred dog category of pariah dog.- Traits :The aboriginal breed of the Indian sub-continent is called the Indian Pariah Dog, Indian Native Dog and is nowadays referred to as the INDog by experts and enthusiasts...