Tazy a breed of Kazakh dog that has been a true friend of man for several millennia, needs to be saved. State support is required in the effort.
A hundred years ago, one tazy, also known as Kazakh hound or Central Asian hound, was equal to 47 horses for a bride’s required dowry. That explains the value of these agile creatures to a nomad. It was the only animal allowed to sleep inside the yurt close to the hearth and to approach the kids.
Not afraid of wolves, the agile and enduring dog hunted with man in the open and forest-steppe space. Even nowadays breeders and hunters would give a fortune for it. But the trouble is that there’s no proving the pureness and authenticity of this canine breed. As a matter of fact, this breed, national treasure of nomads, is not entered on any official register and consequently it cannot be accepted by international canine organisations.
“Standard for the Central Asian greyhound breed, the Kazakh tazy needs be confirmed at the state level. There is a standard adopted by the USSR Agriculture Ministry on December 23, 1979, which is still valid. But we have been living 23 years in a sovereign state,” said Nina Makerova, president of the cynological centre.
“All the cynological organisations working in the country should pool efforts to formalise the tazy breed – it’s our cultural heritage after all,” she added.
Formal documents must be made for the viewing of the breed to be carried out, which the Kansonar hunting public association is handling. The viewing is scheduled this September and the Kansonar requests breeders take part in it. The more dogs of this breed that are brought for viewing, the more objective and accurate it will be.
“It has offered to use the 1979 standard as the basis that defines the regional characteristics of the breed. In the southern regions of Kazakhstan, for one, tazy dogs are smaller, whereas northern tazys are bigger and have an undercoat, are thin, flexible and well-muscled,” Makerova said.
The project on the modern standard for the breed is under consideration by the agriculture ministry.
