CANADA - EARLY BREED HISTORY
(Lilian Goodman, Our Afghans, 1984)
(With additions from various other authors and AHT archives.
Compiled by Steve Tillotson, September 2013)
(Page 2)

2. The Afghan hound arrives in Canada

First sight of an Afghan hound for Canadians and Americans may well have been a wire-photo which was syndicated across the states in 1908.The photo may also have been syndicated in Canada



First sight of actual Afghan hounds occured in the USA when Jean Manson visited New York in 1925 with a dozen or so hounds. It was a disasterous visit for her. Upon arrival she couldn't find suitable accomodation for herself and hounds and booked into a hotel. Several of the hounds died from Distemper and her situation was saved by the generosity of Louis Murr, breeder/judge who arranged to accomodate Ms Manson and her hounds at the O'Valley Farm kennels. It seems odd/surprising to this author that Ms Manson would transport so many hounds across the atlantic and (apparently) not have secured boarding/accomodation arrangements beforehand? Or maybe any such arrangements fell through. I am wandering off topic, but it's one of those mysteries still unresolved.

Joan Brearley informs us in her book "The Book Of The Afghan Hound" that the Afghan Hound was introduced to Canadian dog lovers in 1928. Three Afghans, two males and a female, were seen at the Coliseum in Montreal. They belonged to the Elenor Kennels (USA) which were also exhibiting Samoyeds at the same show. These three Afghan hounds were of Bell-Murray breeding, imported by Elenor kennels from the UK.

The first appearance of the Afghan hound in the Canadian show ring was in early 1928. Exhibited at shows was a male, Shahjehan of Larkbeare. (There is some confusion as to the correct spelling of this name as he was not registered by the AKC. there is little else known about him), and a bitch, Restats Fuzzie of Elenor, both owned by Mrs. Sarah Waller of the Elenor kennels in the USA. Restats Fuzzie was the sixth Afghan hound registered with the AKC in February 1928, She is listed as a Golden Brindle, born 6/14/26, sired by Potentage out of Mora, bred by Mrs C Clifford in England.

(Update June 2013) - Since Lillian Goodman wrote her original article we have undertaken further research and obtained additional information about Shahjehan Of Larkbear. The correct spelling is Shahjehan Of Larkbeare. Larkbeare is the kennel affix belonging to Ms Clara Bowring. The name Larkbeare originates from the town in which the Bowring family lived - Great Larkbeare in Exeter, west England. Ms Bowring, understandably, adopted the name for her kennel. Click here for an article on Clara Bowing and her Larkbeare Afghan hounds and click here for an article on the Bowring family

Shahjehan was also exhibited at the Sir Francis Drake Kennel Club, in San Francisco. California. We have endeavoured to obtain information about Shahjehan in San Francisco but thus far have not received a response from SFD Kennel Club to our enquiry. Readers can click on the links above and view links to catalogue entries for Shahjehan at both Crufts (London) and Westminster (New York) in the mid-late 1930's



3. CKC/AKC Breed Standards

In 1915 the CKC decided to recognise breeds that the AKC had approved a breed standard for. The AKC approved the Afghan hound in 1926 based on a version of the early "Denyer Standard" (drawn up in England in 1921 by a commitee of Bell-Murray fanciers led by Ms Evelyn Denyer). Like all breed standards, this 1921 standard was to some extent based upon a "description" of Zardin in the 1906 Indian Kennel Gazette). This 1921 standard prevailed in the USA/Canada until the Afghan Hound Club Of America wrote a new breed standard which was approved by the AKC in 1948 and is the standard for the breed in Canada.

4. Groups and BIS Established and the Growth In Dog Shows

In 1928 CKC formerlly organized registered breeds into five groups - Sporting, Working, Terrier, Toy Dogs, Non Sporting, Afghan hounds were placed in group 1. CKC introduced a Best In Show competion, whereby the five group winners would compete against each other, the winner becoming BIS. In 1931 there were forty licensed dog shows held in Canada, up from the dozen or so a decade earlier. Ontario province (London, Ottowa, Toronto) appear to have been the busiest places for dog shows.

5.1935 Afghan hound re-appears in Canada

There isn't any record of the breed being shown again in Canada until Laurence Peters of the USA exhibited his imported Tazi of Beg Tute and two of Tazi's puppies, Carnya and Rani of Beg Tute. They were from the first litter whelped on 3/26/35 out of his imported bitch, Saki of Paghman. Carnya was later sold to Gordon Williams (who also owned her litter sister Kari of Wilgor) and was registered with the AKC in September of 1936 as Charnya Of Wilgor. Gordon Williams bred his Kari of Wilgor to the dog Kundah Of Prides Hill and one from the litter - King Tut Of Prides Hill went to Q A Shaw Mckean at Prides Hill

6. Recogniton of the breed by CKC

It was in 1937 that the CKC recognized the Afghan hound and opened their stud books to their registration in the newly created Hound group. The first three Afghan hounds registered that year were all sired by the American import Eng Am Ch Badshah Of Ainsdart (Eng Ch Sirdar Of Ghazni x Ku Mari Of Kaf). Until the renowned Mary Matchett of the famous El Myia kennels imported her first Afghan hound from England in 1938, all of the Afghan hounds exhibited in Canada were from the United States.

Related content
Garrymhor Afghan Hounds UK
Molly Sharpe, Chaman Afghan Hounds UK
Early Afghan Hounds Section

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