Abyssinian sand terrier

Common card · No. 410890

African hairless dogs, also known as Abyssinian sand terriers and African sand dogs among many other names, were hairless dogs from Africa. It is unknown if any examples still exist. This "breed" of dog is known for being “semi-wild”, meaning they tend to follow rather than live with the cattle breeders; though they occasionally serve as valuable companions on hunting trips. The many names of this “breed” include the words Egyptian, Abyssinian, and Zulu, which simply suggests that the genes for hairlessness have appeared independently in multiple areas of the continent as a cooling system in high heat. A number of early European accounts from Africa mention a small hairless dog. It was described as fast moving with a short, sharp bark, and it was said to be either sandy-coloured or blue-black. Contemporary reports indicated that it may or may not have had a crest of stiff hair on its head and a tuft of hair on its tail, although photographs of it fail to show any hair. Three examples were...

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