The Alopekis () is a small, ancient, primitive

landrace A landrace is a Domestication, domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural Environment (biophysical), environment of agric ...

of dog from

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and adjacent regions of the Balkan peninsula. Alopekis have prick ears, a curved tail, and a double coat. Alopekis were bred as a multipurpose farm dog, functioning as a

hunting dog A hunting dog is a Dog, canine that hunts with or for hunters. There are several different Dog type, types of hunting dog developed for various tasks and purposes. The major categories of hunting dog include hounds, terriers, cur type dogs, and ...

, watchdog and

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

. The dog is found throughout Greece but is most commonly seen in northern Greek regions with a lot of farmland and villages, such as

Serres Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

Xanthi Xanthi is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope mountain chain, the city is divided ...

, etc. Critically endangered, the exact number of specimens that remain today is unknown. This breed is not recognized by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

Etymology

The

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

word () means 'mongrel between fox and dog'. Ancient sources like

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

als
describe
them as "" (), which has the same meaning. The dog has many additional names including Alepuditsa, Alepudoskylo, Venetaki, Zacharoskylo, Moropa, Bombis or Bouboudi, Tsoupi or Tsupaki, and Fneli / Fnoudi (local idioms).

History

The domestication of the Alopekis dog in Greece dates before the Mycenaean era., i.e. 1750 B.C. The earliest depiction comes from the post-

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

era (3000 BC Neolithic Greece). It is an engraved pithos from

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

that bears a scribble with the characteristic silhouette of an Alopekis and is in the archaeological museum of Athens. This find places the breed in the same historical period and geographical area as the

Pelasgians The name Pelasgians (, ) was used by Classical Greek writers to refer either to the predecessors of the Greeks, or to all the inhabitants of Greece before the emergence of the Greeks. In general, "Pelasgian" has come to mean more broadly all ...

. This is the oldest depiction of a dog in Greece. A similar find was also found in Rafina and dates from the

Early Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

(2500–2100 BC). Ancient Greek classical authors mention the breed, including

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...

and

. Xenophon describes the Alopekis as one of the two main Greek examples of hunting dogs in his work

Cynegeticus ''Cynegeticus'' (, ''Kynegetikos'' "related to hunting" from κυνηγέω "I hunt"), is a treatise by the ancient Greek philosopher and military leader Xenophon, usually translated as "On Hunting" or "Hunting with Dogs." It is one of the fou ...

. Ancient authors including Xenophon believed that Aopekis were created by mating dogs and foxes. The Alopekis has experienced a massive reduction in population, in part because of the mass sterilization of dogs in some regions to reduce the number of strays. There are still small populations in Northern Greece. Greek native groups are now working to preserve the breed.

Description

Appearance

Alopekis are small, fox-like, relatively short-haired with wedge-shaped head, erect ears and sickle-shaped tail. Their body is longer than their height. Alopekis are classified as primitive dogs: they have regular dentition and a mesomorphic, symmetrical build and body type, with an arched or semicircular tail. Typical individuals do not show

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...

. Their bodies are robust and their limbs are not markedly shortened (and acquired clubfoot is an undesirable feature). Breed proportions indicate a model of progressive downsizing through evolution, adaptation, and artificial selection. Alopekis average high at the

withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...

and weigh an average of . The breed has three types of double coat: a) a short, hard, and smooth coat, b) semi-long, tufted, rough coat and c) semi-long, hard, wiry coat. The coat is usually never thin, sparse, soft and silky, nor is the protective-insulating undercoat missing, because this is a robust small-medium sized breed of general utility that should be able to live outdoors comfortably. The coat is easy to groom and the texture and quality of the coat helps keep it clean. Alopekis are very clean by nature and clean themselves frequently and diligently. All colors and color combinations are acceptable, except for the absence of pigment (

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...

). The most common colors are white, black, brown and bicolor (black and white, white with black or brown patches, black with white markings, brown with fiery markings), and less often whitish, pale yellow and other colors.

Temperament

As a companion, Alopekis are very obedient, quiet, and loyal to their owners. Alopekis are usually very expressive and friendly towards people, however they are alert dogs that are protective of other farm animals and good with children. Alopekis are also good hunters, especially against pests like

rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

. Alopekis are high energy dogs capable of covering very long distances. They are versatile dogs suitable for either an urban or rural home, and adapt readily as a companion for all ages.

Usage

Alopekis populations existed throughout Greece until recently and one of their traditional uses was the extermination of rodents such as rats and mice, as well as the protection of domestic poultry from foxes,

jackal Jackals are Canidae, canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe Canina (subtribe), canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-b ...

s and

ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), as evidenced by the ferret's ability to inter ...

s. With their small-medium size, Alopekis comfortably nest together with hens and ducks in the backyard chicken coop and als
coexist
& work well with the larger Greek sheepdogs and livestock guarding dogs, such a
Molossian LGDs
on the farm. The breed is an excellent watchdog, showing bravery and strength when needed.

References

External links

Greece’s New Pet Law May Threaten Ancient Greek Dog Breed Alopekis
{Portal bar, Dogs, Greece Dog breeds originating in Greece