Combai

The Combai, more often spelled Kombai and also called the Polygar dog, is a working dog from Tamil Nadu in southern India. It was kept mainly for guarding and protection, and sometimes for hunting big game. It is a very rare breed, and breeders across southern India are working to raise its numbers.

History

The breed comes from the Theni district and takes its name from the town of Kombai; from there it spread across southern India. Zamindars and other landowners kept it for coursing game, and it was noted for clearing hedges and other obstacles with ease when hunting.

The zamindars of Kombai are said to have given these dogs to Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan for their army, where they were trained to attack the hamstrings of enemy horses. In thanks, Tipu sent the town an idol of Ranganathaswamy. The local polygars are said to have valued the dog so highly that they would trade a horse for one.

Reports from the 1960s disagree about how the breed was faring: some called it popular and increasing, others practically extinct. A state-run breeding facility in Tamil Nadu took up the Kombai along with other local breeds, but reportedly stopped its program after buyers returned their dogs, finding them ill-suited to life as pets.

Appearance

The Combai is a broad, muscular, powerful and athletic dog standing about 58 cm (23 in). Its short, smooth coat is usually light brown to dark red, with a fine black mask on the muzzle. The eyes are dark, and the medium-length ears, which are entirely black in some dogs, have bent tips. The broad, lightly haired tail is carried over the back in a sickle shape.

Temperament

The Combai is traditionally described as loyal and protective, forming strong bonds with the people it knows. It is generally tolerant of children in its own household. Toward unfamiliar people and dogs it is reserved and territorial, the quality that made it useful as a guard.

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