What was the Italian Greyhound first bred for?

Answer 1

The Italian Greyhound is an ancient breed. A 6000 year old Egyptian tomb shows dogs similar to the Italian Greyhound. They are also depicted on decorative Mediterranean art of 2000 years ago. The dogs became popular with noblemen during the Renaissance. A small Greyhound type dog was found in an ancient lava flow in the city of Pompeii, which is the ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near the modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania. In the sixteenth century, like the Greyhound, this breed was brought to Europe by the Phoenicians civilization, and became popular with European nobility. James I of England, Catherine the Great of Russia, Anne of Denmark and Queen Victoria, all owned Italian Greyhounds. During the 1700's Frederick the Great of Prussia took one of these little dogs to war with him, and he buried the dog himself when it died at the Sands Souci Palace. It was Frederick's dyeing wish that he be buried next to his dog so on the 205th anniversary of his death, on 17 August 1991, Frederick's family transferred his remains to Sans Souci, and placed them beside his little Italian Greyhound. In the 19th century an African chieftain liked the dogs so much that he offered 200 cattle in exchange for a single Italian Greyhound. The Italian Greyhound was recognized by the AKC in 1886.