Afghan Hound. Bryony Harcourt-Brown
prominent English breeders, a pair of Afghan Hounds was located and arrangements made to have them sent to the US. The male, Westmill Omar, was a dark cream unmasked youngster, while the female, Asra of Ghazni, was a lighter cream. Asra was sired by the very famous sire Eng. Ch. Sirdar of Ghazni. While both dogs were considered well coated at the time, their coats would be considered practically non-existent compared to our dogs of today. Both were of sprightly temperament, were up on leg and had lovely heads and expressions.
Soon after the dogs’ importation, Mr. Marx and his wife determined that they were away from home far too frequently and decided to find a more suitable home for their canine treasures. After some negotiations, the dogs crossed the continent to become the new pride and joy of terrier breeder Q. A. Shaw McKean, taking residence at his large Prides Hill kennel in Prides Crossing, Massachusetts. Mr. McKean was fascinated with his incomparable hounds and set about to introduce and promote them in a manner suitable for this royal newcomer. In a well-planned campaign he made both the show world and the general public aware of this exotic breed. Mr. McKean understood promotion and public relations. He showed his dogs up and down the East Coast, extolling the virtues of the breed to all who would look, listen and appreciate. He had brochures made up for distribution at shows. These brochures included pictures of the dogs and puppies at Prides Hill kennels as well as general information on the Afghan Hound.
The first American Afghan to become a champion, this in 1934, was Ch. Kabul of Prides Hill, a product of the second breeding of Omar and Asra. Omar and Asra had been bred several times, with many of their offspring retained at Prides Hill, and soon Mr. McKean determined that he needed another male to breed to the Omar/Asra offspring. He looked back to England for the perfect dog and was eventually able to obtain the brindle Eng. Ch. Badshah of Ainsdart, another son of Eng. Ch. Sirdar of Ghazni. This dog proved to be all that Mr. McKean had hoped. He had a wonderful aristocratic Eastern attitude and expression, and though we would think of him as lightly coated, he had great attitude and bearing. Exhibited in the US for the first time in 1934, he went straight through the classes to become the first American Best in Show Afghan. Eventually the sire of some 17 champions, Badshah was a blend of the Bell-Murray and Ghazni lines. Breeders have been blending these two lines ever since. Until recent years almost every American Afghan Hound could trace its pedigree to Omar, Asra and usually Badshah.
A “MODEL” HOUND
The British Afghan Hound breed standard was written in the mid-1920s around an early description of Zardin. All later standards of the breed have been influenced by the original description of that hound, who was held in high regard by many experts of the time.
Asra of Ghazni, daughter of the famous Eng. Ch. Sirdar of Ghazni, was imported from England by Zeppo Marx and eventually became the foundation bitch of Prides Hill kennels in Massachusetts as well as one of the first of the breed to be widely introduced to the US.
Eng./Am. Ch. Badshah of Ainsdart, an important addition to the early breeding program of Mr. McKean’s influential Prides Hill kennels.
The story of the first American Afghan Hound champion bitch took quite a few turns. Barberry Dolly, a beautiful black-masked light red, was sired by Badshah out of one of the Omar/Asra daughters from a litter bred prior to Mr. McKean’s ownership of the pair; hence Dolly carried owner Bayard Warren’s kennel name, Barberry Hill. Dolly finished her championship very quickly on the East Coast and had some high-profile wins. Word of Dolly’s beauty and winning ways made its way to actor Charlie Ruggles, a dog fancier in his own right. Mr. Ruggles purchased her for his California kennel. Dolly was not terribly happy in the kennel situation and eventually was obtained by Venita Vardon Oakie, wife of movie star Jack Oakie, who had a growing kennel of winning Afghan Hounds. Venita took Dolly home to Oakvardon kennels where she blossomed, quickly becoming the first Best in Show Afghan Hound bitch in California and the second in the US. Oakvardon was becoming one of the country’s premier kennels, rivaling Prides Hill in size, and Venita Oakie became a sought-after judge. Dolly remained Venita’s cherished companion until Venita’s untimely death in 1948.
In 1940 the first Afghan Hound Club of America national specialty was held, with the coveted Best of Breed award going to Ch. Tanyah Sahib of Cy Ann, a cream dog owned by Mr. Cy Rickel of Fort Worth, Texas. During this period, the Afghan Hound breed standard used in the US was a slightly revised version of the British standard. The Afghan Hound Club of America existed but it was not until the early 1940s that it took a leadership role. Years of attempts and heated discussion by club members went into putting together a more definitive American standard, approved in 1948. That standard is still in effect today and has never been changed. More descriptive than the English standard, the US standard differs in calling for a somewhat smaller dog with a black nose and allowing a ring or curved tail as opposed to the English requirement of a ring tail only.
The beautiful Ch. Barberryhill Dolly, the first Afghan Hound bitch to earn her championship in the US.
The breed continued to gain acceptance, particularly in the show ring where the Afghan Hound has always been a star. The beautiful Ch. Rudiki of Prides Hill, another offspring of Badshah of Ainsdart, was shown in the early 1940s by his then-owner, Mrs. Hayes Blake Hoyt of the famous Blakeen Poodles, who had a brief fling with Afghans. Many felt that he was one of the best that Mr. McKean had ever produced. As Mrs. Hoyt phased out her Afghans, Rudiki was acquired by Marion Foster Florsheim and joined the other winning hounds at her very successful Five Mile kennels in Connecticut. It was wartime and travel restrictions existed, but Marion Florsheim ferried planes across the country for Civil Defense and was able to fly the black-masked golden Rudiki around the country as he built up a record of multiple Best in Show wins and sired some 31 champions, an amazing number for the time. In 1945 Rudiki’s fabulous head study graced the November 26th cover of Life magazine, which included an article on Five Mile kennels. Rudiki’s name continues to be, if one goes far enough back, visible in many US pedigrees.
The 1950s were the beginning of a golden age for the Afghan Hound that extended into the ‘70s and witnessed the rise of two very famous kennels, Sunny Shay’s Grandeur kennels in New York and Kay Finch’s Crown Crest kennels in California. Though each had Afghan Hounds of all colors, Grandeur was known for dogs of great elegance clothed in coats of exotic smoky colors, giving one a mental picture of the exotic and sophisticated New York society, while Kay’s dogs were wrapped in glamorous black-masked red and golden coats, making one think of the athletic boys and girls of the California beaches. Each kennel had dogs that were record holders, with several Crown Crest dogs earning top-winning Afghan Hound of the year honors, and Ch. Shirkhan of Grandeur becoming the first Afghan Hound to go Best in Show at Westminster, a triumph he accomplished in 1957.
Ch. Rudiki of Prides Hill on the cover of Life magazine in 1945.
Ch. Taejon of Crown Crest was a multiple Best in Show winner and national specialty winner and at one time was top-winning Afghan Hound of the year.
Ch. Shirkhan of Grandeur, Westminster’s first Best in Show Afghan Hound.
The number of Afghans grew tremendously during the 1960s and 1970s, with show entries mushrooming. Many people came into the breed because they were entranced by this mysterious Eastern dog with his haughty appearance, fabulous coat and aristocratic bearing and style. Registrations soared and the number of litters produced skyrocketed. A higher percentage of Afghan Hounds found their way to the show ring than did most other breeds, and