EGYPT & THE DOG

Dogs on a leash

The dog connection with the gods and the dog’s loyalty to human beings is further explored in other cultures.  In ancient Egypt the dog was linked to the jackal god, Anubis, who guided the soul of the deceased to the Hall of Truth where the soul would be judged by the great god Osiris. Domesticated dogs were buried with great ceremony in the temple of Anubis at Saqqara and the idea behind this seemed to be to help the deceased dogs pass on easily to the afterlife (known in Egypt as the Field of Reeds) where they could continue to enjoy their lives as they had on earth.

DOGS WERE HIGHLY VALUED IN EGYPT AS PART OF THE FAMILY AND, WHEN A DOG WOULD DIE, THE FAMILY, IF THEY COULD AFFORD TO, WOULD HAVE THE DOG MUMMIFIED.

Dogs were highly valued in Egypt as part of the family and, when a dog would die, the family, if they could afford to, would have the dog mummified with as much care as they would pay for a human member of the family. Great grief was displayed over the death of a family dog and the family would shave their eyebrows as a sign of this grief (as they also did with their cats). Tomb paintings of the pharaoh Rameses the Great depict him with his hunting dogs (presumably in the Field of Reeds) and dogs were often buried with their masters to provide this kind of companionship in the afterlife. The intimate relationship between dogs and their masters in Egypt is made clear through inscriptions which have been preserved:

We even know many ancient Egyptian dog's names from leather collars as well as stelae and reliefs.  They included names such as Brave One, Reliable, Good Herdsman, North-Wind, Antelope and even "Useless".  Other names come from the dogs color, such as Blacky, while still other dogs were given numbers for names, such as "the Fifth". Many of the names seem to represent endearment, while others convey merely the dogs abilities or capabilities.  However, even as in modern times, there could be negative connotations to dogs due to their nature as servants of man. Some texts include references to prisoners as `the king’s dog’ 

The Basenji. (the common dog of Egypt – Kalb Baladi) 

The Basenji have short fur, ranging from red/yellow & white, black & white to tri-colored. Recent imports from Africa have been brindle. A mixture of red and black hairs that often resemble a tiger's stripes. This short fur is kept clean by continued grooming.

Berlin Museem

Basenjis are extremely intelligent dogs. A recent book concerning dog intelligence placed the basenji near the bottom of the list. Anyone who knows basenjis, knows that this is false. The listing was based on how easily different breeds can be trained and how well they obey commands. Basenjis can be trained (make that must), but if they find something of greater interest to them, they may ignore the command and continue on their way. Being that basenjis are direct descendants of the first dogs, and that dogs of their type are still found in the wild world wide, it is doubtful that they could survive thousands of years and not be intelligent.

The breed basenji is known as the barkless dog. Their vocal folds are not shaped for barking. This additional fact brings them one step closer to all dogs closest relative, the wolf. Wolves, as you may or may not know, cannot bark either. 

Background Notes.

The Basenji is one of the oldest breeds known to man. Ancient Egyptian art works show very clearly, dogs of the basenji's size and shape. Of course, other breeds are also depicted, namely Pharaoh Hounds and Izban Hounds. The Great Pyramid of Khufu (also known as Cheops) has paintings of basenji type dogs seated at the feet of their owners. This pyramid was constructed about 2700 BCE. There are also cave and rock drawings dating from about 6000 BCE in what is now Libya. These paintings show hunting scenes that contain pariah dogs looking very similar to basenjis.

Parts of this Article and pictures copied from internet with no intend to infringe on copyright of respective authors