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Cirneco dell’Etna (plural Cirnechi)
Sicilian Hound.
Now recognised in the United Kingdom
Sicilian Hound.
Now recognised in the United Kingdom
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY :
The classical studies on the subject of canine breeds disseminated in the Mediterranean basin have come to the conclusion that the Cirneco dell'Etna would descend from ancient hunting dogs bred in the valley of the Nile at the time of the Pharaohs, dogs which would have arrived in Sicily with the Phoenicians. But very recent researches speak in favour of a new conception, according to which it would concern a native breed of Sicilian origin from precisely the vicinity of Etna. Coins and engravings prove in effect that the Cirnechi existed in those parts many centuries BC.