Indian breeds

Question
Hello Mr. Patti,
I see that you have a very good knowledge of AKC approved dog breeds. I am from India and we are into reviving rare native indian breeds, can you comment on combai, kanni, chippiparai and rajapalyam dogs of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These fall under the category of indian hounds, the best hunters used even today in rural tamil nadu. I am just trying to share these wonderfull breeds with u. Specially combai is said to be direct decendant of senai(wild red dogs). U could also mail to goodwillkennels@gmail.

Answer

Hi Caroline,

Thank you for sharing those native breeds of Indian dogs with me. From my reading I can see that they are rare, even in India. I found it interesting that the Kanni (who's name means unmarried girl) comes from the fact that the dog used to be given as a gift to a bridegroom just before his marriage. I thought the Rajapalyam was a particularly attractive dog. It's too bad pure Rajapalayams are more or less extinct, with only a few in isolated pockets around southern Tamil Nadu. It would be great if the breed could be revised before they are lost.

All the breeds sound like wonderful dogs. Perhaps one day I'll be lucky enough to see one in person!

Regards,
Patti