Fall from grace

Sighthounds were once revered. They appear in famous paintings, tapestries, sculptures and Shakespeare plays. The greyhound is the only breed of dog mentioned by name in the Bible. Greek gods were often portrayed with greyhounds and the Egyptians decorated their tombs with images of their hounds. From the Middle Ages, Greyhounds were considered the dogs of the aristocracy. Henry VII even replaced the lion with the greyhound on his coat of arms. Nobles favoured white and spotted dogs who could be seen and recovered more easily if lost in the forest. The greyhound breed has changed little since 500 BC, but their treatment has changed dramatically. Since the advent of dog racing in the 20th century they have become an expendable commodity. Across the globe they are overbred for profit and then discarded. Greyhounds in China are skinned alive or boiled to death for their meat. Spanish Galgos are dragged behind cars, hung from trees, burned alive or thrown down wells. Lurchers used for coursing endure a miserable life, often living outside and being killed or dumped when no longer of use. Salukis in the Middle East are abandoned in the desert. Racing Greyhounds with treatable injuries are killed by the racecourse vet. Today's sighthound is more likely to be seen in a rescue centre than in a painting. In the 16th century the sighthound was described as: “noble and princely, and though of slender and very fine proportions, yet so well knit and coupled together, and so seconded with spirit and mettle, that they are master of all other dogs”. I wanted to capture this in my series, photographing a rescued sighthound with the architecture of its heyday, as a tribute to the breed.