Mudhol Hound

This breed was thought to have followed caravans of setters from Asian and Arabian countries into the Deccan Plateau region of India. It was their practice of following these caravans that gave them the moniker Caravan Dog, the official name used by Kennel Club of India. Although their full ancestry may be lost to history, some experts believe this dog to be a direct descendant of the Saluki or the Afghan Hound, probably intermingled with genetics from dogs that were local to India at the time. This breed was and is still particularly prized for their ability to handle the grueling heat and the rugged terrain of their homeland in India. In its home region, this dog was used as a guard dog and as a hunting companion who was able to quickly dispatch game for their family’s dinner table and was frequently seen in the homes of royalty as well as in the homes of the peasantry. In the 1600s and 1700s, these dogs were seen as patriots when they helped fight for India’s freedom and this breed recently made headlines as the first breed native to India to be employed as official military dogs for the Indian Army, providing bomb-sniffing services as well general guarding and patrolling duties. The Indian National Kennel Club recognizes this breed under the name Mudhol Hound rather than Caravan Dog and as of 2015 the Indian town of Mudhol in Karnataka is the only place that these dogs are officially being bred, and they were hovering on the edge of extinction in the early part of the century, but concentrated efforts are being made by breeders in the Mudhol area to protect and reestablish the breed.