Old Bosnian Greyhound

Even though it is believed to be extinct, the Staro-Bosanski Hrt can still be found on occasion in some parts of Bosnia, Herzegovina, Dalmatia, Slavonia and Serbia, where it is used to hunt foxes, hares and wild pigs. The breed is claimed to have remained unchained for a thousand years, but it should be noted that a steady influx of English Greyhound blood has been a common practice throughout the 20th century and it continues to this day. The Bosnian Greyhound has roots in the ancient sighthounds of India and Turkey, but also in the working population of original Illyrian hunting dogs, as well as Old Serbian Greyhound, Bosnian Foxhound, Greek Harehound, Hungarian Greyhound and other breeds. However, it has been bred true to type since the 12th century, with occasional outcrosses with imported breeds aimed at expanding its gene pool and imroving its working qualities. Unlike the massive fierce hounds of Serbia, the leaner Bosnian Greyhound was strictly a hunting and racing dog, bred for an even temperament, trainability and speed. This driven breed also makes a good pack hunter and when employed in groups of up to 5 dogs, usually consisting of 2 Bosnian Greyhounds, 2 Posavac Hounds and one Bosnian Barak, they can take down a deer, as well as wild boars and even a wolf on occasion. The great Staro-Bosanski Hrt was crossed with the Ragusa Watchdog to create the Dubrovnik Hound, which is believed by some to be a direct ancestor of the modern Dalmatian. As a racing dog sometimes seen at hunting trials in some villages in the Balkans, the Bosanski Hrt has proven itself to be a very agile and athletic breed, although not as fast as the English Greyhound. Still numerous before the 1st World War, the breed suffered greatly during the WW2 and has remained very rare ever since.

Some revival efforts were reported in the late 1980's, but the devastating Yugoslavian conflicts during the last decade of the 20th century unfortunately put those plans on hold. In recent years, some claims have been made in Croatia that this is in fact the same breed as the Croatian Greyhound, but this is most certainly incorrect. The Bosnian breed is much older and clearly different than the rare Staro-Hrvatski Hrt, although they are undeniably related. Smaller than its Serbian counterpart and taller than the Croatian Greyhound, the Staro-Bosanski Hrt is a muscular, slender and deep-chested working dog, with long sturdy legs and elegant appearance.

The coat is smooth, flat and short, always white in colour, with small black, brown, red, brown or brindle markings. Average height is around 27 inches.