Rampur Hound


Also known as the Rampur Greyhound or North-Indian Greyhound


The Rampur Hound is native to the Rampur region of Northern India. It
was the favored hound of the Maharajahs for jackal control, but was also
used to hunt lions, tigers, leopards, and panthers. It was considered a test
of courage for a single hound to take down a jackal. The Rampur is built to
cover great distances at high speed; thus capable of great endurance.
They are approximately greyhound size, but much wider and more muscular, similar to the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Some unique characteristics are their Roman nose, ears set high, pendant style,
and of most interest, their "hare" feet. The Rampur's foot is a large "hare" shape, with heavy webbing. Their toes are very articulated and flexible, even able to bend backwards a bit. They are not unlike our own fingers in many ways. This manuveurability helps to give them a cat-like balance, able to walk on a 2 x 4, or clear a six foot fence! Truly a fascinating dog. Colors are mouse-gray, grizzle, brindle, parti-colour or most rare, black. Eye color ranges from yellow to a golden brown. A word about the gray and grizzle color. These two colors have the eery ability to blend completely with the foliage of the forest, so much so that when the hound is still, you may not see them from a distance of as little as ten feet. And this is in daylight! The Rampur in play is a scary thing to the uninitiated. They like to charge at each other at speed, then butt their chests with force enough to shake the ground. They are affectionate to their owners, almost to a fault. Standing in the yard with them, they will sometimes run from across the yard and jump up for a kiss. Unfortunately, if you are not braced for this, you may very well find yourself head over heels on the ground.

With the fall of the Maharajahs from power in 1947, so too, fell the
popularity of the Rampur Hound. The effect of the arrival of the English was
evident to the Rampur, as well as the native Indian people. The English
greyhound was bred into some of the lines, leaving to find a pure Rampur
rare indeed. This remarkable breed balances on the fine line of extinction. Outside of India, only a handful are known and registered, and are in the U.S., state of New Jersey. If anyone reading this article knows of any Rampurs existing anywhere, or has any info or first-hand knowledge about them, please contact me through my guest book or email. Any assistance would be most appreciated.

Rampur Hound Info Links

Rampur Room

Greyhound of the Orient

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