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Afghan Hound Times
(Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange)

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afghanhoundtimes.com User Login Home Register Community Forum Members Pages Forgot User Name | Forgot Password | Update Your Registration | Create A Members Page | The Afghan Hound in Australia - A Brief History by Jim Hickie , Gengala Afghans, Australia. (Page 1) It is generally conceded that the first Afghan Hounds to come to Australia were the strangely patterned dogs that accompanied the Afghan camel drivers in the Australian "outback" from the middle of the last century until early this century. With the advent of motor transport and the railways the camel drivers and their dogs gradually disappeared leaving only the camels as evidence of their earlier presence. In England the breed was first introduced in the early part of this century but virtually died out during the First World War and it was not till the 1920's that they were re-introduced by Major and Mrs. Bell Murray and Miss Jean Manson. Their dogs were similar in type to the dogs that had been seen some twenty years previously and came from the desert regions of their homeland. They were not heavily coated and were somewhat rangy overall - very different from the mountain type hounds introduced some four years later by Major and Mrs Amps. Inevitably controversy raged as to which was the correct type and indeed two breed standards existed till after World War 11. These two types ( breeds ? ) were the foundation of the breed in the United Kingdom. The first Championships were awarded in 1927. (Farkhoonda El Kabul ) ***UPDATE AUGUST 2014 Found above rare/historic photo. More info to folow (Steve Tillotson, AHT) It was almost eight years later however before the first pedigreed Afghans arrived in Australia. These were brought in by Mrs. Olive MacDougall and comprised a fawn bitch (Farkhoonda El Kabul ) in whelp to Lehki Marwal ( sire of an English Champion) and then the following year a black masked gold dog Dharma Reja of Geufron and a a grey-blue bitch Morita arrived also in whelp. From the resulting litter came the first Australian Best in Show winning Afghan. This is no surprise as Mrs. MacDougall had concentrated on acquiring stock from lines that were already producing winners. Her first import was by Omar, the sire of eight English Champions, and he was the grandsire of both of her subsequent imports, each of which was from an English Champion. It was unfortunate that during World War 11 with no breeding being done these lines were lost. It was 1950 before the breed was again seen in Australia when Mrs.Ward (Golitha) migrated from England to Western Australia bringing with her a black masked gold dog, Ch. Devilkin Dasthi Pasha. Some twelve months later she imported a cream bitch Devilkin Dathoobhos in whelp. From the resulting litter a number of puppies were sold throughout Australia and some were quite successful in the showrings. Mrs. Ward subsequently relocated to Tasmania and it was to this State also that Mrs. Barbara Skilton ( breeder of the Devilkin dogs ) migrated from the U.K. Mrs. Skilton had also at one time worked in the Bletchingly Kennels in England. Mrs. Skilton brought with her the black and tan dog Ch. Aghai of Hawkfield (U.K.) and she adopted a new prefix - El Tazzi. This dog along with another dog which Mrs.Skilton imported had a tremendous influence on the early development of the breed in this country. The later import was Ch. Taj Amigo of Chaman.(U.K.) The stock from these early kennels was elegant and stylish and their influence can readily be traced through to many of today's successful show exhibits. In fact as late as 1971, Mrs. Kay Finch ( Crown Crest - U.S.A.) made the very beautiful black masked silver dog Ch. Zamalek Karim, Best in Show at the Adelaide Specialty and he also won the inaugural Queensland Specialty the following year. The last import in this dog's pedigree was in 1957. He was by Ch. Monash Bongo Bongo ( A Royal Group winner) out of a bitch which was line bred on the original Golitha dogs. In Victoria three important Afghans arrived with the Abbotts who also migrated here from England. These were the black and tan male Zarussef Zso Zso and the two bitches Khorrassan Horningsea Tarbouka and Radiant of Carloway. This latter bitch mated to Zso Zso produced a number of champions including Khyber Amanulla who became the principal sire in the establishment of Helen Furber's Furbari Kennels in Sydney where the foundation bitch was Westghan Knamba.. Another dog imported around the same time was the black masked silver Aust./N.Z. Ch. Viper of Davlen brought into South Australia by another English migrant Mrs. Marie Howitt ( Kazah ). This dog was another producer of quality stock who still appears in the (extended ) pedigrees of many of today's winners. Mrs. Howitt subsequently moved to New Zealand where she was influential in the establishment of the breed there. She later moved to New South Wales and now lives back in England. n the late 1950's yet another English migrant arrived with some important dogs. This was Mr Fred Long ( Hookstone) who not only brought his Afghans but also some Sealyham Terriers as well as various pedigreed farming livestock. The Afghans were the very striking black masked red dog Hookstone Habibula and a black masked gold bitch Hookstone Hamaira. With them was a son of this pair - Hookstone Nadir Shah - a dog that along with his sire did considerable winning in the early 1960's. At the 1962 Sydney Royal Hookstone Habibula ( at eleven and a half years of age ) won the breed and took Runner-Up in Group under the great English all-rounder, Leo Wilson ( whose wife had bred and exhibited Afghans prior to World War 11.) Hookstone Nadir Shah when mated to Ch. El Tazzi Cleopatra produced two significant males Ch. Kingstar Hookstone Abu and Ch. Kingstar Ali Bey - the latter being the top Afghan in N.S.W. over a three year period in the mid 1960's. Related Content Mrs. Olive Macdougall (Kandahar) Mrs.V B West (Bara-Khel) Mrs. Barbara Skilton, (El Tazzi), by Steve Tilotson and Lyall Payne July 2015 History Of The Breed Down Under by Helen Furber (Furbari, Aust), 1969 Norah and Richard Ward (Golithar,Aust), by Steve Tilotson and Lyall Payne July 2015 ADD FRED LONG LINK HERE ADD SCHELLING/WATSON LINK HERE Jim Hickie article on Australian breed history Fear of Possible Mennace -"The Post's" Sydney, Australia, 1935 An Interview with Barbara Skilton Of Eltazzi Kennels Next Page Library Of Articles/Main Menu Toolbar Whats New Page