A dog with a history

 
“What breed is he?”
 
I stopped to stroke this aristocratic looking dog tied up outside the Co-op, our local supermarket, in Bridge of Allan this morning.
 
“Saluki…the oldest breed in the world,” said Jenny, the young owner.
 
Bulma, for that is his name is a 9-year-old rescue dog. 
 
 
Bred in Wales he was sold to Scotland for £700 to a man who had a farm full of hunting dogs of all descriptions, which he kept in deplorable conditions. He was arrested charged with cruelty, illegal hunting and forbidden to keep animals ever again. So Bulma ended up in dog rescue.
 
Today he enjoys a pampered life.
“ I give him four walks a day in Mine woods , he gets treats of beef silverside, he sleeps on my bed and at weekends he gets two hour runs on my partners farm.
 
Background

Remains of salukis have been found in Pharaohs tombs going back over 2,000 years and recent excavations suggest they are even older - 6,000-7,000 years because evidence of them have been found in “digs” of the Sumerian empire.
 
Salukis were once considered a gift from Allah. They’re fast as the wind, skinny as a supermodel, and quietly devoted to their people. They are easy to groom, challenging to train, and not to be trusted off the leash
 
All this I discovered  because I stopped to pat a dog on my way to buy the morning paper.