Kangaroo Dog

The Kangaroo Dog, also called the Roo Dog or Staghound, is an Australian hunting sighthound created in the early 1800s. It is a type and not a breed: a cross based mainly on the Greyhound and the Scottish Deerhound, with other breeds added as needed. The people who keep it today are mostly hunters who care about what the dog can do and have no interest in a written standard or kennel club recognition.

History

Kangaroo Dogs have been part of Australian hunting since the early days of colonization. Kangaroos were a major source of food for the first settlers, but the animals were already wary of people and dogs, and a hound had to be fast, strong and tough enough to outrun a kangaroo, catch it and hold it without being badly hurt by the powerful, clawed hind legs. Settlers crossed the Greyhounds and Scottish Deerhounds they had brought from Britain to get such a dog. Later accounts mention Borzoi, Saluki and other breeds being added.

Some accounts say the Darug people had Kangaroo Dogs as early as 1802, and in 1804 colonists shipped the dogs to Tasmania, where Indigenous communities took them up as well. The earliest known mention in print is in classified advertisements in a Sydney newspaper in 1805. From the 1830s, hunting clubs across the Australian colonies rode after kangaroos, wallabies and dingoes with these dogs.

It is now strictly illegal to hunt native animals with hounds. Kangaroo Dogs are growing fewer, though they are still used in parts of Western Australia and other states on introduced pests such as feral pigs and red foxes.

Appearance

Because its keepers have rejected standardization, there is no single correct look for a Kangaroo Dog. Form follows function, and the dog has the build of a sighthound. Australia’s national broadcaster has described the type as muscly, heavily boned, agile and capable of great endurance, if not handsome.

The names Kangaroo Dog and Staghound are used for the same type, but hunters often draw a line between them. Rough-coated dogs are called Staghounds. Their coat gives extra protection, so they are preferred for large game and are a common choice for pig hunting, but they overheat more quickly in hot, humid places. Smooth-coated dogs keep the name Kangaroo Dog. Slimmer and more like a Greyhound, with a more delicate coat, they are favored in warmer climates and for smaller game.

Temperament

Much as Greyhounds have a name for lazing about the house, Kangaroo Dogs are described by some owners as soft-natured dogs that sleep around 16 hours a day.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.