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Rescue an
Alopekis
Alopekis Puppies
for Sale
Alopekis
Rita, the Alopekis at 2.5 years old. She
lives in Thessaloniki Greece.
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Alopekis
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Description |
The Alopekis are fox-like, with relatively short and
smooth coat, wedge-shaped head and sickle-tail, pricked ears and smart
expression, body longer than the dog's height at withers, swift and graceful
movement. The wedged muzzle tapers evenly to the nose without being
pointed or undershot. It has a light but visible stop. Topline of
the muzzle is level. The muzzle is deep and broad at it's root, with a
strong jaws. The skull is broad, very slightly domed, with amble brain
room. Cheeks are developed but not prominent, flat and deep. The
occipital bone is not prominent. The frontal furrow is visible between the
eyes and disappears smoothly along the rise of the skull. The brows are
well-developed over the large eye orbits. The jaws is strong, with even
and regular teeth (scissor-bite). The lips are taut. The eyes are
rather large, in shape almond to round, bright, intelligent, of normal position
and neither deep-set nor protruding, of color in accordance to the coat and
well-fitting eyelids. The nose is broad, with well-opened nostrils.
Not too large in relation to the muzzle, elastic, moist, flat and level on it's
front surface, protruding very slightly over the top lip. The ears are
triangular, large, slightly rounded at their tips, erect and very mobile.
The arch of the neck is visible but not too accentuated. The length of
neck is medium, strong and without dewlap, cylindroconical in shape,
blending smoothly onto the withers. The body is longer than the height of
the dog, with broad and deep enough chest, well-extended ribcage without
barrel-shaped or flat-sided ribs, with good spring and forechest. The back
is strong and curves slightly over the muscular, broad loin and croup. The
forequarters are well-laid back shoulder blades, forming good angles with the
upper arms, which are of the same length to them. The forelegs are
straight, with good but not heavy oval bone, strong wrists and elastic pasterns,
which are set slightly oblique to the vertical without falling off too
much. The feet are elliptical, not as round as the cat's, in shape between
the round and the oval, with short, strong nails and elastic, thick pads.
The rear hindquarters are well-rounded, good length and angle of pelvis, very
broad, wide and muscular thighs, forming good angles with the well-developed
stifles, strong knees and hocks, straight, vertical and perfectly parallel to
each other metatarsals, turning neither in nor out. The tail is long,
forming a sickle, reaching the hock joints, set and carried relatively high,
with elegant curve, neither falling tightly on the back nor carried vertically
erect. Mobile and happy in motion, with coat forming a brush
underneath. The double coat is of good quality, with hard and smooth outer
coat, soft and dense under coat. The jacket is thicker and longer around
the neck, forming a brush under the tail, breaches on the rear of the thighs and
short feathers on the rear surfaces of the forelegs. Medium-short in
length, not exceeding 2 inches (5 cm.), lying flat on the body or only very
slightly wavy, with a natural silky sheen. Comes in all colors and
combinations except discolored white (albino). Strong pigment preferred
but "winter noses" should not be penalized. Both eyes must be of
the same color, neither blue nor transparent (watery). Light yellow eyes
(like a prey-bird's) is a serious cosmetic fault. Two coat varieties
occur, shorthaired and wirehaired. The wirehaired type is very rare, but
with work it could also be developed. This bred is also smaller and
lighter than the Small Greek Domestic Dog. |
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Temperament |
Small, multi-purpose utility and house dog of urban and
city life. A faithful and devoted companion. Tireless & eager helper,
of pleasant disposition and high intelligence, an easily trained worker.
Strong, healthy, hardy and of moderate needs. Watch-dog, ratter,
flock-attendant, possessing a natural hunting instinct. Very playful,
sociable and very clever. Eager to please his owner, with faithful devotion. Alopecis is a house companion, watchful but self-confident and
optimistic. Obedient, lively, alert, attentive, out-going and happy by
nature. Friendly and even-tempered. Protective of people and house
animals, relentless enemy of vermin. An enthusiastic worker, highly trainable,
extremely agile, with a hunting instinct and playful disposition. Alopecis is
the valued companion of the Greek people from antiquity to this day. Full
of courage and always bright-eyed, ever-ready for action. Tireless and capable
of covering great distances, athletic and with fast reflexes. Positive-thinking
and resourceful, with great stamina and persistence. Adaptable & eager to
the needs of the master. Full of grace in manners and pleasant in it's habits.
This is an unspoiled breed of dog, useful in many tasks and blessed with
centuries-old resilience & canine wisdom. A true "multum in parvo"*,
feeling equally at home in any environment, urban or rural alike. Make sure you are this dog's firm, confident, consistent pack leader to avoid Small Dog Syndrome, human induced behavior problems. Always remember, dogs are canines, not humans. Be sure to meet their natural instincts as animals.
* in Greek the phrase is : "polla en smikro", meaning many
things in a small package. |
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Height, Weight |
Height: 8 - 12 inches (20 - 30 cm) (with a
tolerance of up to 2 cm. above the limit for individuals of excellent type)
Weight: 6.5 - 15.5 pounds (3-7 kg) |
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Health Problems |
NO common genetic problems known. |
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Living Conditions |
The Alopekis is suitable for urban or country life,
small apartment or farm. It is a very adaptable dog. |
Exercise |
The Alopekis should be taken for
long daily walks. They need free play, but can adjust to a small
household provided they get frequent walks. Very athletic little dogs, ideal for mini-agility! |
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Life Expectancy |
If well-cared for, they can reach well over 14-16
years. |
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Grooming |
Easy to groom and care for. |
| Origin |
The ancestors of this breed are the primitive dogs that
appeared in Greece during the proto-hellenic era of the Pelasgoi people.
Findings exist as far back as the palaeolithic age settlements in Thessaly.
Referred to by the ancient Greeks as "alopecis" (small &
fox-like). Similar dogs have been depicted on ancient Greek sculptures as
well as other archeological finds. The Alopekis occurs naturally in the
general Greek stray street populations, although they are now being carefully
bred. At one time the Alopekis and Small
Greek Domestic Dog were considered to be different types of the same
breed. This has since changed and provisional standards have been written
for each breed since both breed true to type. In terms of numbers, this
breed is less common than the Small Greek Domestic Dog, although both breeds
would be the easiest and most likely breeds to be exported from Greece and
established elsewhere.
In ancient Greece a hairless variety existed, which was sometimes wrongly called
the Turkish Naked Dog. Unfortunately this type has become extinct.
The reason for this extinction is twofold. The first is that the climate
in ancient Greece was warmer than the current climate. This allowed the
hairless variety to survive, but as the climate began to cool the hairless
Alopekis needed human intervention to stay alive. This did not occur
because of the fact that many ancient Greeks considered this type to be ugly
looking. |
| Group |
Primitive |
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Recognition |
DRA - The relevant Hellenic breed
club is under formation right now. |
DRA = Dog Registry of America, Inc. |
THE ANCIENT
GREEK COMPANION DOGS ARE STILL AT HOME TODAY...
Rita, the Alopekis at 2.5 years old. She
lives in Thessaloniki Greece.
Rita, left at 2 months, top right at 4 months, bottom right
at 1 year.
Small Dogs vs. Medium and Large Dogs
Understanding Dog Behavior
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Thanks to Maria Winsor-Ginala for providing Dog Breed Info with this
information.
Also thanks to Cory
Leed for providing Dog Breed Info with some of this information. And a
special thanks to Phil Taormina for helping Cory with the info. |
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