Mudhol Hound

The Mudhol Hound is a sighthound from India. India’s two kennel clubs register it under different names: the Indian National Kennel Club calls it the Mudhol Hound, and the Kennel Club of India calls it the Caravan Hound.

History

The breed belongs to the Deccan Plateau, which covers parts of Karnataka, Maharashtra and, to a lesser extent, Telangana. It is most popular in and around Mudhol in Karnataka, which gave it its name.

Shrimant Rajesaheb Malojirao Ghorpade (1884–1937), ruler of Mudhol State, is credited with reviving the hound. He saw the local Bedar people hunting with these dogs and restored the breed through selective breeding. On a visit to England in the early 1900s he gave a pair to King George V, which brought the breed wider attention.

About 750 families in and around Mudhol now raise the hounds and sell the puppies. The Indian Army has shown interest in using the breed for surveillance and border protection, and has taken six dogs for testing at its Remount Veterinary Corps center in Meerut. They were bred at the Canine Research and Information Centre near Mudhol, which is part of a Karnataka veterinary university.

In 2005 the Mudhol Hound was one of four Indian breeds shown on a set of Indian postage stamps.

Appearance

The Mudhol Hound has a smooth coat. A variety with more hair is known as the Pashmi Hound, and its feathering shows most on the ears, the tail and the underside.

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