Did you know we have a Chippiparai?

A what?

A Chippiparai.

Chi-ppi-pa-ra-i. 

Or a “sh-ph-sh something dog you have”, as many seem to say around us.

Our dog Shelty is a Chippiparai, which is a very rare - some even say almost extinct - hound from the area that bears the same name down south in Tamil Nadu.

Chippiparais come in a variety of colour and are sighthounds, which means they were bred to hunt on sight rather than smell. They were bred by the royal family there, mainly to hunt deers and boars. Their genetic origin is not clear but some say they are linked to the Sloughi and Saluki, which, in Egypt, were also considered a royal breed.

So how on earth did we, amalgamators of rejected dogs that no one else wants, end up with such a precious little dog?

First, let’s go back to my obsession with greyhounds. I love them and find them very regal. If we lived in the UK we would have adopted some, since they are so many of them looking for homes after their racing careers. A few years ago, while we were doing our first course at the Monty Roberts learning centre in California, we coincidentally walked into a greyhound competition. As we strolled around, admiring the hundreds of beautiful tall and elegant dogs we spotted two very different looking hounds. They had long-ish scruffy hair. After speaking to the owners, it turned out they were “Podencos,” hounds from Spain. The couple who had them explained that these were very unpopular dogs in Spain and often ended up in the streets. In the US, however, they were considered very exotic.

Fast forward a few years when we moved back to India, we saw a video of a chippiparai jumping over a huge fence (yeah, Facebook’s algorithm got us just spot on!). I was absolutely amazed to discover that India had its own indigenous hounds. I proceeded to google ‘how to get a chippiparai’ but as it turns out they are rare and expensive. Since we vowed never to buy a dog, we dropped the idea.

Fast forward again up to last November. We receive a message from someone we know at the polo club saying ‘Hey, do you guys want a Chippiparai puppy?’

This type of message may seem like weird for normal people, but we are officially known as the unwanted animals' dump yard so we always get messages like ‘Hey, do you want my cousin’s hamster?’

And because we are extremely weak, we answered YES.

We were then given the number of a local vet, saying that he was the point of contact. I called him and learned that the owners of the puppies were a couple passionate about reviving the breed. They were not interested in money but were keen for a good home.

I called the owner who was very surprised that I knew about the breed. I scored points when I told him about the video, too!

So that is how Shelty joined the gang. A whim, really.

But she has turned out to be a fantastic dog. I can’t generalise about the breed since we only have her, but on top of being extremely beautiful, she has a well-rounded safe, curious and very friendly disposition. She is outstanding with puppies and wants to be a mum to everything she sees. Except for the squirrels. She wants to hunt them.