I just realized I haven't posted any of the pics i took in Syria in 2005, so here goes :)

My Khattaf in Syria, pic by Sir Terence Clark:



Khattaf's sire Janah:



Khattaf's dam Tayra:



My Basma in Syria:



There's hundreds more, which will be published on my website next year.

Thanks for pics!!

I'm green with envy of your trip out there :bounce: , I'd love to go out there, some awesome looking hounds there. That last photo is my Farouq with cropped ears!!

Do you need to quarantine your imports for 6 weeks as we in the UK have to?



I'll look forward to the photos on your website next year. :Mexwav:

No, we don't need quarantine. The thing that has made COO imports difficult lately is that we now have to have the hound tested for rabies antibody titers in the country of origin (which when importing from there means having blood sent to Belgium for testing), and then kept there for another 4 months. Trying to find someone in those countries willing and able to do all that paperwork, housing, etc. is very difficult, particularly if you prefer hunting stock from the villages and deserts, as I do.

Its always great to see native hounds i really do like the smoothies :clapping:

Smoothies are my favourites too :)

top pics mate them smoothes are very elegant

whats the reason behind the cropped ears mark they are magnificent animals

Cropping is an ancient custom and the reasons given for it vary depending on who you ask - I suspect many do it just because that's the way it's always been done. Anyway, the reasons given are for beauty, for speed, for identification, for alertness, or so that the ears aren't damaged in the hunt.

Different people crop in different ways: some crop just one ear (in some areas apparently mostly on bitches), some both; some remove the entire ear leathers, others just part of the ears so that what remains can be pricked; some symmetrically, some not. And some don't crop at all. I asked how and when they crop, and was told "with a sharp knife" ;) and at around 1-2 months of age.