It’s time for the annual Saluki Beauty Contest at ADIHEX (Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition) that will run from September 27 to October 3, 2021. The Saluki Beauty Contest draws attention to this authentic dog breed from the region. It also seeks to strengthen the relationship of the new generation of Arabs with their ancestors’ heritage and traditions.
Plus, it is an opportunity for humans of Salukis to proudly showcase the skills and characteristics of their dogs.
You may also like: Retired bomb sniffer dogs are up for adoption
Contest in collaboration with Arabian Saluki Center
The Saluki Beauty Contest is being organised in collaboration with the Arabian Saluki Center in Abu Dhabi. And the aim is to revive the sport of hunting with Saluki dogs.
The Saluki Beauty Contest is quite popular as it has attracted Saluki lovers and enthusiasts from the UAE, the Arabian Gulf as well as visitors and tourists of all ages. Notably, the Saluki Beauty Contest is different due to its focus on strength, intelligence, loyalty, skills, reflexes and sensory reactions of this hunting dog breed alongside appearance.
More about the Saluki Beauty Contest
As its time for the annual Saluki Beauty Contest here are some details.
The contest includes four categories: Al Hoss (smooth) males, Aryash (feathery) males, Al Hoss (smooth) females and Aryash (feathery) females.
The judging criteria include the breed from which the participating dog comes and their behaviour – walking and running. Attention is paid to overall appearance (head, eye, nose, mouth, ear, teeth and jaw), as well as the structure and shape (size, neck, shoulders, chest, back and tail). Other details (skin, colour, movement and legs), hunting and chasing skills, overall impression and psychological traits are also taken into account.
To enter the contest, the participating dogs must be healthy, vaccinated and microchipped.
More on the Saluki breed
Saluki has been an important part of Arab hunting heritage. Arabs have known and raised Salukis for more than 7,000 years. The Saluki breed is renowned for their exceptional endurance, intelligence and loyalty. They have always played an important role in hunting trips due to their ability to find prey struck by the falcon. Both falcons and Salukis work together to catch the hidden prey.
There are two main types of Saluki dogs – the long-haired Aryash (Al Hadba) and the short-haired Al Hoss (Al Amlas). The Arabian Saluki native habitats are the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Jordan.
There’s a ‘Pet Matchmaking’ event too
What’s more, there will be a Pet Matchmaking initiative at ADIHEX. In collaboration with Cloud9 Pet Hotel and Care, it is an ideal opportunity to adopt a pet. Interested people can visit the Dhabian stand at ADIHEX or email mornaytheron@hotmail.com for more information.
“The reason why we call it ‘pet matchmaking’ instead of adoption is because owning a pet requires a great deal of commitment and mutual understanding,” stated the event organisers.
