CHANDHARA Afghan Hounds
Remembering - the first Chandhara litter, born June 10 1958 in England.
There were 9, 3 females and 6 males, 3 of which were shown, but the 3 females achieved future influence. Chandhara Zaraya Yasmin, Chandhara Kibi Sharaya and Chandhara Sheba Khanoum can all be found in the pedigrees of Afghan Hounds worldwide today. They were sired by Am.Ch. Horningsea Khanabad Azreefa (born in the UK and exported to the USA) and out of Chandhara Barfour Soraya.
The Afghan Hound is one of the true "Ancient" breeds with a heritage dating back 16,000 years to the mountains of central Asia, and Afghanistan.
Afghan hounds are known as elegant, exotic and highly athletic sighthounds that originated in the highly mountainous and rugged country of Afghanistan. They are one of the oldest breeds in the world with their ancestry tracing back thousands of years to the first descendants of the prehistoric wolf. Modern research of canine origins at the DNA level has them listed as one of the “ancient” breeds from which modern dogs now descend.
Unlike modern breeds which have been selected for obedience, not independence Afghan Hounds were prized for their intelligence. Yes, Afghan Hounds can be “obedience trained” but using very different methods, repetitive exercises are not necessary, and the Afghan Hound will lose interest.
As a companion they are very easy to live with, they enjoy free running, having fun, playing “tag” and leaping over tall things with a single bound - then flopping down on the grass in the sun, in the snow, or on the couch in the home relaxing.
The section "Myths and realities" will explain the many conflicting pieces of information about the breed that you will find on the internet and in telephone conversations.
My first show dog! Chandhara Abdul Azraya - luckily my father was happy to drive us to dog shows almost every weekend, beginning a lifetime interest in the dog show world.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all living descendents of Azreefa and Soraya, remembering those that have passed on to the happy hunting grounds, their relatives and all Afghan Hounds worldwide.
This site is here for the benefit of the breed with information that you will not find in any one place. There are no modern books on the breed that have been written with this in mind, there are too few Afghan Hounds with owners or breeders for any publisher to be willing to publish one, and self publishing costs money. If you find the information here to be of value, and would like to support it, you can simply
Buy Me a Coffee!
Check for updates - I will be adding a section on color inheritance in the Afghan Hound, with examples of the different colors, how they must be registered with AKC and the many unofficial descriptions.
I still have a few copies of Afghan Hound Review available and also copies of the classic breed book The Complete Afghan Hound by Constance O. Miller and Gilbert, now long out of print and never to be reprinted.
For those of you who are interested in American breed history I have copies of my Retrospective of the 20th century, published in AHR (now OOB) available in a docx file, and copies of my research in the complete history of the first 100 years from the first imports to the west in PDF format. This was published in 12 newsletters 2019/2020. For copies please write to me by e-mail at Afghanhounds@chandhara.com.
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If you are thinking of buying an Afghan Hound puppy or need advice about one that you currently own, write to me at afghanhounds@chandhara.com. I have always been available to answer questions from people no matter where they obtained their puppy. My efforts towards any potential rescue situations that might occur have been and will continue to be doing everything I can to help people keep their dogs so that they never do end up in rescue. If that is unavoidable eg due to death or incapacity of an owner, I will direct them to known and reputable dedicated Afghan Hound rescue groups, NOT the bogus “rescues” that you might find on the internet. If you are thinking of adopting a dog, be very careful. Make sure that you are dealing with a legitimate entity.
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This site is being edited - For anything to do with Afghan Hounds you can reach me at afghanhounds@chandhara.com . For anything else you can contact me at shuntcrowley@yahoo.com . Stephanie Hunt-Crowley
If we have lost contact with each other over the years, a transatlantic move from the USA to France, moving from one house to another, and internet crashes that resulted in the loss of ALL my contacts and then losing my Facebook account, PLEASE send me an e-mail! Thank you!