Ode to the Sighthound
Update: We recently recorded a podcast episode of The Iggy Parents about this topic. Listen now, and see if we have the same Top 3!
When we started looking for a dog, we knew we wanted a small breed. We were looking for a dog that we could travel with and that wouldn’t mind being carried around. Another thing we looked for in a breed was how they would trigger our allergies. One of the big selling points of the Italian greyhound was the fact that they are hypo-allergenic (or as close as you can get!) Once we started raising our iggy girl, Adelaide, we began noticing other sighthound breeds. Initially we fell into the trap thinking that whippets were the smallest sighthound. Once we learned about iggies vs. whippets, we started noticing all the different breeds in our neighborhood. It’s that feeling when you get a new car and then you start seeing it everywhere - but SIGHTHOUND edition. Who knew there were so many gorgeous greyhounds in our building complex? We even ran into a silken wind hound on the streetcar. We didn’t know the breed but of course started a conversation with the owner and then researched this beautiful breed. Here we would like to share with you all of the beautiful breeds we have fallen in love with since falling for our girl, Adelaide.
Disclaimer: Of course that we are by no means experts on dog breeds. We are writing purely based on our own interactions with these different dog breeds and what we’ve come to learn about them from owners or online information.
Before we delve into our favorite sighthound breeds, we thought we’d touch upon what traits these breeds share that appeal to us. Why is it that we gravitate towards sighthounds?
Physical Traits:
Body shape. We love the look of dogs with slender bodies, long legs, and long faces.
Gait and movement. We love how these breeds are often a mix of graceful walking and athletic running dogs. The graceful trot is adorable while the athleticism needed for their top speeds is impressive and fun to watch!
Fur/Hair. We love the many different varieties of fur/hair colours you can find with these breeds. There are standard colours, brindle colours, smooth fur or majestic cascading locks.
Personality:
Gentle. While we don’t have too much experience with the other breeds beyond our own Italian greyhound, we have noticed a sense of gentleness in these breeds.
Easy-going with a full range of excitability to couch potato. From greyhound owners, we have learned that even full Greyhounds don’t require as much exercise as you’d think from their athletic ability.
Loving companion. We have seen a beautiful connection with sighthounds and their owners. Of course, dog IS man’s best friend...but there are certainly some breeds that tend to be more independent, fickle and aloof. Sighthounds we’ve encountered seem to be very attached to their humans (of course I say this as Adelaide has been sitting here on my lap chewing a bully stick for the last half hour).
A certain...je ne sais quoi?
Mystique. We gravitated towards Italian greyhounds because we loved that they are a bit more unusual than the typical family dog. There is something about sighthounds in general that seems special. If you know, you know. Maybe it is their ability to be both the derpiest and most stunning dog you’ve ever seen in a matter of seconds.
Let’s dive into the breeds! Reminder again that we are no experts, we just love these breeds and wanted to chat about the ones we’ve been lucky enough to encounter or become friends with online.
As an iggy owner, we are usually in awe of greyhounds. They are the large majestic version of our little girl and we can’t help but swoon. While they are large (55 - 88lbs) versions of our favorite dog, they still have a sense of daintiness to them with their proportions (thin, long legs, barrel chests, long necks and long heads). According to the greyhound owners we’ve met, they are surprisingly great couch-potato dogs and make great loving companions.
@bellathechi_stormythegrey on Instagram
1. GREYHOUND
Why do we love this breed?
We love them because it’s basically our dog but you don’t have to bend so far down to pet them. With very similar personalities, the biggest advantage of this breed in our minds is the variety of colours. We are big fans of the brindle coat pattern and wish that iggies had them too.
What would stop us from getting one?
My biggest concern at the moment would be the size of our apartment. While they don’t require too rigorous an exercise regime, I would feel bad that we didn’t have enough room in our one-bedroom apartment that already houses a little iggy with a big pen and pee pad set-up. Adelaide has socialized with greyhounds before, even running side by side with one at the dog park when she was still a young pup. I think that if we had a larger home, a greyhound wouldn’t be out of the question. One last tiny concern would be our allergies, but we’ve heard the shedding is not too bad.
@whippet_walter on Instagram
2. WHIPPET
Embarrassingly so, this was the first dog breed we looked up when we thought of the dog that is in fact an Italian greyhound. Jess thought of Seth Meyers’s dog, Frisbee and Ryan thought of Jenna Marbles and Kermit, but after a very quick search, we realized how wrong we were! Iggies are often mistaken for whippets, which makes me think that whippet is just the only name people typically know to mean a smaller version of a greyhound. We still gasp when we see whippets in real life because they are just as slick and dainty as iggies but have a bit more presence just by being slightly bigger.
Why do we love this breed?
We love that whippets are still relatively small dogs if they’re on the small side (ranging 22-42lbs). The major bonus of this breed again is the brindle coat pattern colours. Potentially Ryan is biased in his love of brindle because you can compare it to a tiger stripe pattern - tiger being his favorite non-dog animal. We have some whippets in our neighborhood and they all seem to be very loving, friendly and calm.
What would stop us from getting one?
Size would not be a problem for us honestly, but we did hear that while iggies are close to hypo-allergenic, whippets and greyhounds technically are not. It would probably be worth the risk for allergies but we still really love Italian greyhounds.
@astontheafghan on Instagram
3. AFGHAN HOUND
Here we go taking the biggest deviation from greyhound/whippet/Italian greyhound - the afghan hound. We have little experience in real life with this breed with our only interactions being at pet events/pet expos, so our opinions about them are more based on observations. The sheer beauty of the breed is appealing and we love to enjoy this breed from afar.
Why do we love this breed?
The long silky hair is a physical trait that we can’t help but be attracted to when we’re used to only smooth short fur. Who wouldn’t want the versatility of styling your dog’s hair possibly more than your own? There is a certain mystique to these dogs and they certainly film and photograph extremely well. A BIG bonus would be their hypo-allergenic nature.
What would stop us from getting one?
With a weight of 50-60lbs, this breed is probably still too big for us to feel comfortable having in a small apartment. While being hypo-allergenic, a downside to having a dog with the ability to have gorgeously styled and coiffed hair, is the fact that it could go very very wrong. When originally looking for a dog, we ruled out any breeds that required grooming based purely on the increase of effort, time and money.
@iggy_tuna on Instagram
4. SILKEN WINDHOUND
Silken windhounds are a newer discovery for us. We were lucky enough to encounter a couple on the streetcar and were immediately drawn to the long nose and elegant coat. In particular Jess loves the ears with the longer fur. They range from 22-55lbs, so probably still a little large for us. They are moderate shedders, so allergies would probably be a concern. We don’t have too much of a relationship with this breed but we’ll keep appreciating from afar.
Why do we love this breed?
We love the unique coat. They come in many different colours and different possible textures of fur (wavy, curly, straight). The temperament seems similar to most sighthounds, which is always a draw for us.
What would stop us from getting one?
Concerns of size and allergies as per usual. The more and more we think about other breeds we realize that we really lucked out with getting an iggy.
@atash.and.aruba on Instagram
5. SALUKI
Full disclosure, we have never met a saluki in person but we follow some on social media after discovering this stunning breed.
Why do we love this breed?
Their beauty of course is the main draw since we’ve never met any in person. In particular, I love how their ears look like human hair. The way the hair fall down looks like a stylish hairstyle that frames the face. There are so many salukis online that are extremely photogenic and we hope to befriend one in the future.
What would stop us from getting one?
They are not hypoallergenic and a bit larger than we would want (35-65lbs). It seems that they require moderate grooming however perhaps not as much as an afghan hound.
@borzoi_gandalfthegrey on Instagram
6. BORZOI
We have had the lucky chance to meet a borzoi with Adelaide at the Canadian Pet Expo. Unfortunately, it was in a crate, so little Adelaide spooked him/her as we walked by. Despite getting off on the wrong foot, we really love this breed for their gorgeous wiry/wavy coats and long faces.
Why do we love this breed?
The sheer size of this breed is breathtaking. The hair is really striking with all the wiry, wavy textures. They have a wonderful, almost mythic presence when galloping around (as we’ve seen on Instagram), and always look as if they’ve just appeared out of the mist in a Russian forest.
What would stop us from getting one?
This breed is potentially the biggest ranging from as low as 55lbs for females and as high as 105lbs for males. Since looking into this breed, we have learned of their hunting nature of small animals. Potentially if not raised together, mixing a borzoi and an Italian greyhound would not be wise. They also require a lot of space, which we may never have (for our lifestyle we enjoy apartment living).
@iggyadelaide on Instagram
7. Italian Greyhound
The smallest, and most fashionable of the sighthound breeds, the Italian greyhound is the obvious choice for us. When we went to meet Adelaide’s litter at her breeder, we were greeted by 3 of the most gentle and sweet dogs we had ever seen. The 3 full grown iggies came and gave us a sniff, then all curled up in a lounge chair in a sun spot on the front porch. We fell in love immediately, and knew this was the breed for us, whether it was a puppy from this litter or we had to wait.
Why do we love this breed?
They are the perfect size for apartments. They have minimal shedding, and don’t require grooming (and are “hypoallergenic” enough for our needs). They are the perfect size to pick up and cuddle. They need clothing to stay warm, so we have the excuse to dress her up (even if she’s fussy getting into it). They want to be with you all the time. They are friendly (ours is more friendly than most, who are little skittish). And best of all, they can go from 100% derp to 100% super model in less than a second.
What would stop us from getting (another) one?
Nothing.
Overall we love all sighthounds from afar. There are so many different breeds that have a wide range of coat colours and textures. We love their grace, their style, and their gentle nature. Many of the sighthounds are some of the fastest dog breeds. Most are not hypo-allergenic, which is our biggest barrier to owning our own. The second biggest barrier is size - we really want a small dog. Adelaide, we love you, we would never replace you, but you never know if you might get a sister!