African village dogs are agenetically diverse group ofindigenous dogs found inAfrica.[1] They descend from ancient dogs that arrived in Africa from theMiddle East.[2]African Village Dogs specifically weren’t formally bred, unlike other dogs from Africa. Only one is currently standardized, theBasenji, with the others remaininglandraces, not registered breeds.
Dogs first entered Africa throughEgypt with evidence dating to 5,900 years ago (image from 2400BC)
The oldest dog remains to be found in Africa date 5,900 yearsbefore present (YBP) and were discovered at theMerimde Beni-Salame Neolithic site in theNile Delta,Egypt. The next oldest remains date 5,500 YBP and were found at Esh Shareinab on the Nile in Sudan. This suggests that the dog arrived fromAsia at the same time as domesticsheep andgoats.[3] The dog then spread north and south throughout Africa beside livestock herders, with remains found in archaeological sites dated 925–1,055 YBP atNtusi inUganda, dated 950–1,000 YBP atKalomo inZambia, and then at sites south of the Limpopo River and into southern Africa.[4]
An African Village Dog found in Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
In 2009, a genetic study of African village dogs found that these were genetically distinct from the non-native andmixed-breed dogs. The village dogs of Africa were a mosaic of native dogs that arrived early into Africa, and non-native mixed breed dogs. TheBasenji clustered with the indigenous dogs, but thePharaoh Hound and theRhodesian Ridgeback were predominantly of non-African origin.[5]
Cameroon Dog: a hunting dog from West Africa, of medium size and primitive type, with erect ears, long legs and short coat, often piebald in colour, named afterCameroon.[7]
East African Dog: a hunting dog fromKenya, large in size.[7]
Hahoawu: a "clean" medium-sized (11 to 14 kg) watch dog fromTogo, with a far sight and a coat of fawn or red colour, well adapted to city life, named after the Haho river.[8]
Liberian Dog (a.k.a.Liberian Terrier): aterrier-like dog from West Africa, small and reddish-brown, named afterLiberia.[7]
Madagascar Hunting Dog: a hunting dog fromMadagascar.[7]
Nyam Nyam (a.k.a.Zande Dog): a small hunting dog from Central Africa with erect ears, a curly tail and a short coat of fawn colour, thought to be similar or somehow related to the Basenji, named after theZande nation.[7]
Nkita (a.k.a.Kare,Ekuke): a slim, mixed Nigerian breed of dog, often brown or tan with erect ears; they are often used by farmers.[9]
Simaku: aratter fromSouth Africa, also used for cleaning yards (by scavenging waste), developed by crossingpariah dogs with terriers.[7]
Sudan Greyhound: an extinct hare-hunting dog fromSudan.[7]
West African Mouse Dog: an extinct small (36 cm)Doberman Pinscher-like ratter, with a short, smooth and red coat.[7]
Zulu Dog: a small guard and hunting dog with a square muzzle and a fawn coat, named after theZulu nation.[7]
Moreover, it is debatable whether the following breeds also belong or belonged to "African village dogs".[citation needed]
Bisharin Greyhound: a hare-hunting dog from Sudan, with erect ears and a curly tail, named after theBishari nation.[7]
Dinka Greyhound: aGreyhound-like pariah hunting dog from Sudan, of a rougher type than the other Sudanese breeds, with a short, fawn coat, named after theDinka nation.[7]
Egyptian Hairless Dog: an extinct hairless dog, close relative or perhaps even the same breed as the African Hairless Dog, small in size (41 cms), with drooping ears.[7]
Shilluk Greyhound (a.k.a.Shilluk Dog): an antelope-hunting dog with a robust body and semi-erect (folded) ears, usually of red colour with a black mask, named after theShilluk nation.[7]
Zanzibar Greyhound (a.k.a.Zanzibar Dog): a large (68 cms) hunting dog fromZanzibar, with erect ears, a robust body and a red-white colour, believed to be developed by crossingSalukis with pariah dogs.[7]
^Wendorf, Fred (2001).Holocene settlement of the Egyptian Sahara. Volume 1, The archaeology of Nabta Playa. Romuald Schild. New York.ISBN978-1-4615-0653-9.OCLC885402023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Lane, Charles Henry (1900).All About Dogs: A Book For Doggy People. Kessinger Publishing, LLC.ISBN978-1165937967.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
