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By Sonia Kelveri Philippou


Kypriakos Lagonikos hunts hairs or small game . It’s   courses also and hunts the game mainly by sight. His nose is
nevertheless noteworthy. Kypriakos Lagonikos is especially skilled in coursings and race tracks, yielding good results
particularly in longer distances as is a stayer dog. He is also a very good companion and a loyal watch dog.

Kypriakos Lagonikos is an original hunting breed. His origin not only   goes back to the times when the Otomans
conquered the country but according to archeological findings this type of sighthound dog exist since 1400 B.C in Cyprus.

Kypriakos Lagonikos gives the impression of strength; bone structure and musculature very strongly developed. Is elegant
but at the time is very sturdy. In its appearance, it is a lot similar to some Asiatic sighthounds who are it’s ancestor with
clear power shows it has adapted to the hard and dry grounds of Cyprus especially in summer time.

What is really noticeable is the archetypal colour that exists in Kypriakos Lagonikos, a black and tan. The tan markings on
the legs are brindle.

This breed , used to exist , among other sighthound breeds, mainly in the area of Mesaoria, A flat valley , quite dry almost
in the centre of Cyprus , that lies on the borders mainly from Nicosia to Famagusta and Kyrenia mountains . The word
"Mesaoria" (sometimes spelled "Mesarya"), means "between the mountains" in Greek. For the most part, the Mesaoria is a
flat, bare plain, with few trees except for those planted as windbreaks . Due to deforestation much of Mesaoria is covered
with calcium carbonate that has been compacted in to hardpan. The combination of the soil and the high temperatures that
can reach over 40 degrees in summer made hunting difficult for many breeds. The locals used the Kypriakos Lagonikos for
hunting purposes only and kept very strong hunting bloodlines that could survive the unfriendly and hard environment.
It is interesting to study how locals kept the bloodlines alive until today after the Turkish invasion in 1974. In the area of
Mesaoria there were lots of small villages and the local villagers were breeding not only Kypriakos Lagonikos but also
another breed who has it’s origin back to the dessert fringed Salukis called Mallouroftas.
But according to the locals the Kypriakos Lagonikos was and is until today of higher respect and esteem because of their
versatile capabilities in hunting and their hardiness.
In 1974 most of the locals abandoned their homelands letting the Turkish troops take over. Mr. Andreas Panayi
Hadjigavriel (Stakos), a local from the village of Ashia            left his home and all his belongings to the Turks and moved
as a refugee to Achnna. He managed to take him , with him his wife , his children and 2 of his beloved dogs ( a pair) few
photos and some documents, to a village across the so called green line (border). His heart was still at his home, his yard,
his dogs that inherited from his grand father. A grand father that gave him the dogs under the promise that he will pass
them over to his own grand son. His grand father also inherited the dogs from his own grandfather and so on. He decided to
take a risk and over 7 years he kept sneaking to the occupied Cyprus, putting his own life in danger to try to bring his dogs
to the Greek side. He was sure that his dogs could survive and hunt for themselves. He called for help and made a group of
supporters from his area that owned dogs before 1974 to bring back and save the Kypriakos Lagonikos.
After 7 years of risking his life he managed to bring many dogs and continue to breed.

Mr. Andreas Panayi Hadjigavriel has records from his grandfather about dogs. The son of Astrapi ( thunder) was Sifounas (
typhoon) and the daughter of Sifounas was Kataigida ( storm) and so on.

Today on the island there are more than 300 dogs. They are bred still by the Mesaoria people and it is almost impossible to
buy them. They are bred for them, they are bred to preserve the breed , to hunt and to keep save the local inheritance and
legend.

In early 2004, Mrs. Eva Maria Kramer a famous specialist sighthound photographer came to Cyprus and studied the breed.
She took a lot of photos and saw this breed in real work and was amazed. Mr. Stelios Makaritis an all rounder judge from
Greece helped
Mrs. Sonia Philippou a Cyprus Judge to go round various villages and measure and took detailed records of around 50
Kypriakos Lagonikos . For 5 years I was trying to study the breed and convince the breeders to let the Cyprus Kennel Club
to record the breed. It was not an easy thing to achieve as these breeders were so protective over them. But at the end she
gained their trust and let her go with them to see them working. A hunting work which is a piece of art. A traditional ritual
saved through the centuries. Usually 2 men (father and son – in the the case of Mr. Andreas his son Fotis goes with him) go
out hunting with the pack (must be 7-8 dogs together out hunting) The one goes on one side of the valley and the other on
the other side to send the dogs with the command ‘’ Houri” a derivative of the ancient greek word thoria which means to
see. Nowadays Mr.Andreas grandson: Andreas Junior who is only 7 years old goes out with them to be taught the secrets
of this amazing archeatypal breed. After all his grandson will inherit all the dogs as a tradition.