ORIGIN AND HISTORY
'Research-study by Dr. Stavros Mpasourakos
(veterinarian / student of Greek dog breeds) 
(from periodical ‘Kynigesia kai Kynofilia’ copies 400-401, 1995)
(texts translated in english by:
Tsagaraki Athanasia
Greek Public School English teacher Graduate of the English Department of the Aristotle University -Thessaloniki) 
         The origin of the Cretan Tracer as an ancient race goes at least four millenia back. As we have written about the origin of the Greek Tracer, the hounds of ancient Greece and then of Mediterranean Europe, all come from the very old sight hounds of Egypt.
             These were large dogs with an upright and elegant stature, with long and thin but very powerful legs, with erect ears and a curled tail. They were used when hunting gazelles, as we know from the depictions in the graves of the first 8 Dynasties (2895-2160 B.C.) and especially on the grave of Metten, who in the courtyard of great king Cheops of  the 4th Dynasty (round 2720 B.C.) was ranked as “Great hunter”. These famous hounds originated from 2 different parts, Africa and Asia: From the wild dog ‘Simeios’from Abissynia (Ethiopian Wolf- Canis Simensis) and from the Assyrian hound.
                Apart from these large hounds in ancient Egypt and particularly 4-5.000 years ago, there had also been another hunting breed but smaller ( a little bigger than half the height of  the large sighthounds), with erect ears, curled tail and wrinkles in the face that had the characteristics of the modern African dog (Basenji) as it is portrayed in graves and in engravings on rocks.            
These dogs, archaeologists named “dogs of Cheops”. After the fall of Pharao’s reign, this race also disappeared. In the middle of 19th c, in 1834, certain English explorers in central Africa discovered, among certain breeds of southern Sudan and Congo, dogs that looked like the ancient ‘dogs of Cheops’. For centuries, this race had been living in the heart of Africa, without ever being cross bred, maintaining its ancient form. Native people have been using it in hunting. This race is named Basenji (or dog of Congo, orsilent dog, or barkless).
                 It is a small or medium sized dog (a little taller than the cocker spaniel) but much thinner, and graceful in appearance, agile and deceptively powerful for its size. Its main characteristics are that it meticulously cleans itself (licking its coat like the cat), it does not mess the place it lives in, it does not emit any ugly smell, and it does not bark. Its basically morphological characteristics are: Height 40-43 cm, weight 10-11 kilos (on average the larger being the male), erect ears, curly tail with one or two rings. It is short coated, red – white, black- white, tri-colour (black, tan and white). Hunting qualifications: It silently and carefully follows the traces of the prey (Antelope or hare), it also chases the birds and is an excellent retriever. It notifies the hunter about the presence of the prey by its behaviour (as it is barkless). It is also a very good companion, it is very clean and intelligent, careful, frisky and can become a good friend of children, as well as be devoted to his owner and to the house.
              We somehow extensively wrote about the Basenji in order to give the reader (based on the description and the pictures) the possibility to compare these two ancient breeds, the Basenji  and the Cretan Tracer, because, although they live thousands of kilometres away and without ever coming into contact - in completely different living conditions and although thousands of years have passed, these two breeds maintain various important common characteristics in general morphological appearance, like the sharp muzzle, same-sized legs, mainly erect ears and most importantly a curled tail. 
                          Regarding the tail, we must stress that no hunting breed in Europe, of the sight hound type, not even the rest -similar to the Cretan Tracer- Mediterranean breeds, like the Cirneco dell Etna or the Podenco Ibicenco have a curled tail as the Cretan Tracer has maintained for thousands of years, as it inherited it from the hounds of ancient Egypt. All hounds have a long tail, lowered almost unbent or lightly saber. Similarly, the ancient Greek hounds did not have a curled tail. 
                         This curled tail that is an exclusive genealogical characteristic of their ancient origin, we should be careful not only to maintain, but through selective breeding we must develop it completely, so that it becomes the perfect and common characteristic of all pure Cretan Tracers. 
Regarding the ancient origin of the Cretan tracer, we should note that since the 2nd millennium B.C., and maybe since 4.000 years ago, the Cretan people, having been great navigators (Crete had been the first thalassocratic force of the Mediterranean) and later the Phoenicians (that lived on the coast of current Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine), would transport their merchandise from Egypt and sell it in Crete, Southern Greece, Sicily, Southern Italy, Southern France and Eastern Spain.  
          The initial type of the Egyptian sight hound had to adapt to the territorial and climatic conditions of Greece and so it developed into the type of the Greek sight hounds, as represented in murals from palaces of Tiryntha in Argolida (1500 B.C.) much later in craters (depicting the punishment of Artemis, and the dogs of Aktaionas)and in angiographies. In all these representations not only the dogs did not have a curled tail that turned upwards, but on the contrary, their tail was longer, hanging loose, slightly curled and rather hairy in its lower part. These hounds, after almost a thousand years (mainly after having been cross-bred, developed into the hound - tracer from the era of Xenofondas. From these tracers (scent hounds) the current Greek Tracer (a hare-hunter) originates and does not belong to the sight hound type, but to the‘Brach’ category, where almost all hound dogs belong.

During the Roman occupation of Greece, Greek dogs (and not only hounds) had been transported to Italy, France (Gaul) and Switzerland, where they developed into the current tracers (the Segugio Italiano, or Italian Hound, the Swiss Hound (Iora) that resemble with the Greek Tracer.

Apart from the big hounds of Tyrintha from the era of Aktaionas, there had also been a small-medium sized hound dog, the Laconian that was the best hunter in the whole of Greece. It is likely that those two types of hounds, that are different in stature, were crossed and produced a medium sized type of hound that through the course of centuries developed into the current Greek Tracer.         
          The hounds of Egypt, (generally from the Northern central - Eastern Africa) as mentioned before, were transported in Crete by the tradesmen of that time (the Cretans, the Phoenicians) and the same happened in southern continental Greece. However, comparing the dogs that were being imported in these places, there is a difference mainly concerning the stature of the imported hounds. More particularly, in continental Greece, tall, long bodied, fast sight hounds were being mostly imported, with a jaunty body, that developed high speed in the open plains and would often capture the hare, after having chased it by sight - not scent-as the current scent hounds do). They were also very powerful and muscular in order to cope successfully with hunting the wild boar as well as the wolf (as the current Borzoi -Russian Wolfhound- and the Irish Wolfhound). Observing the murals in the palaces of Tiryntha and comparing the stature of those hounds with the stature of their owners it may be supposed that in height they would reach 90 cm. that is to say they were taller than the tallest modern hounds. 
                          In Crete, on the contrary, mainly after the first unsuccessful imports of tall hounds, they continued importing mainly small dogs that belonged to the breed of the “dogs of Cheops” and the current Basenji. This opinion is supported by the following:

1) the statuette of a small dog that is found in the archaeological museum of Heraklion, with the erect ears and the curled tail, that resembles the Basenji and the current Cretan Tracer.

2) the mainly mountainous, rough, mostly rocky and sheer ground of Crete is completely inappropriate for the fast, long legged hounds that, if they would ever attempt to hunt in such an environment, they would most definitely break their legs on the rocks or would even get killed.

3) wolves and foxes have never existed, so as to persecute the dog, and if they had existed, they would be protected in the hostile and dangerous for these hounds mountainous grounds.
4) Even harder would be for the Cretan Chamois (wild goat) to be chased, because, not only is their habitat rocky and high, but also when they are chased, they go up in even higher and more inaccessible grounds, jumping from one rock to another. Consequently, it becomes obvious that in Crete, because of the territorial and generally the environmental conditions, and as the large-sized hounds were not used by the Cretan hunters, it was difficult for them to breed and they soon disappeared. So, they developed the small sized hound like the Basenji (as it is portrayed in the statuette in the museum in Heraklion), maintaining the basic characteristics of the ancient type (erect ears, curled tail etc.) that through the course of centuries developed into the current Cretan Tracer.                     
The Cretan tracer is a purely Cretan breed, as for 4000 years it has been adapting and meeting the climatic, terrain as well as the hunting conditions of the island; having acquired a powerful sense of smell and tracking it rendered as the most suitable tracer for Crete, without having lost its sight-hound morphology, as happened with the Greek Tracer that has became somehow- of the ‘pointer type’ because of its much wider existence in Continental Greece and its communication with other dog breeds (as also happened with the European Tracers). It maintained its coursing characteristics because it has lived in isolation on the island and particularly on the mountainous regions of the inland, where it was not easy to cross breed with other dogs (and it was most likely for them not to have existed on these harsh mountainous terrains), apart from accidental cross breeding with shepherd dogs that belonged to cattle-breeders of the region. 
        In a similar way, all foreign island breeds- relatives of the Cretan Tracer as Cirneco of Sicily, and Podenco Ibicenco from the Balearic Islands maintained the coursing characteristics.
The Cretan Tracer has not been popular in continental Greece since ancient times, because of its isolation on the island, despite its excellent hunting qualities even on the mountainous territories, and consequently, it was not reported in ancient Greek texts. Xenophon is the first to simply refer to this breed among other ones in his “Cynegeticus”:
“Προς δε τον ην τον άγριων κέκτησθε κύνας Iνδικάς, Kρητικάς, Λοκρίδας, Λάκαινας, άρκυς, ακόντια” (it is reminded that in ancient Greece the dog was reported as of the female gender). In this extract of “Cynegeticus”, concerning the wild boar, the dogs that will be used are Indian, Cretan, Lakonian, from Lokrida etc. Xenophon, himself, subdivided the hunting dogs (that were all of the coursing type) in two types: “τα δε γένη δισσά, Aι μεν Kαστοριά, αι δε αλωπεκίες”- to the first type belonged the large ones, that were mainly used in hunting large preys (wild boar, deer etc.) and to the second belonged the small ones that were mainly used in hunting small hairy prey (hare, fox, ferret etc.).
                       Paradoxically, Aristotle that enumerated seven races, proceeded to a simple classification based on clearly geographic criteria, that is to say, he took into consideration the mother land of each breed, without reporting the Cretan breed anywhere: Continental, Laconian, Molossoian, of Cyrene(Cyrinaikos), Egyptian, Indian and of Malta. Still, more paradoxical is that he refers to the dog of Cyrene(Libya) – Cyrinaikos - anancestor of the current Italian Cirneco and a cousin of the current Cretan Tracer, but does not report anything about the Cretan dog.  Etymology of Cirneco: from the Greek term Cyrinaikos - in latin: ‘Cyr (e) naecus’: the Greek “ai” becomes the Latin diphthong “ae” (that is pronounced “e”) and by omitting the “e” it becomes Cyrnecus) and in the Italian Language: Cirneco. It is obvious that by this Aristotelian name (‘Kyon’ (dog) of Cyrene- Cyrinaikos even etymologically (and correctly), the Italian experts and friends of the Cirneco (as was indicated by the writer around 1950) have been proclaiming the ancient origin of their Sicilian breed. 
                          Although the ancient texts giving information (Greek and later Latin) regarding the origin and history of the Cretan tracer, are, as mentioned, almost inexistent, however, there are various archaeological discoveries which testify the ancient origin and the history of the Cretan Tracer, which is connected with the history of Crete. The ancient statuette of the Cretan dog that is found in the archaeological museum of Heraklion with the erect ears and the curled tail, that resembles the current Cretan Tracer, is an undeniable testimony.
                  Many years ago, Mr Ioannis Karabalakis, a good friend and colleague from the past, being the supervisor of the Faculty of Veterinary Science in Crete, from whom we had requested various evidence about the current Cretan Tracer and mostly about its ancient origin, gave us some rather important and interesting elements about it, as well as for other rare species of the Cretan Fauna (the Cretan horse ‘Georgalidiko’, the falcon of Eleonora, Varvaki, etc. These elements together with others that he gathered later were published six years ago, in an extensive article in the newspaper of Heraklion by the title “Protection of the Historical Fauna of Crete”. Here we republish the most interesting extracts (as stated and in some points summarized), that concern the Cretan Tracer                                                                   
 - The study of the Cretan dog, in the Minoan era, about which there aren’t any written sources, draws evidence from various archaeological discoveries that depict the dog (seals made of clay and stone seals) as these are presented and analyzed in the classic book by Evans “The Palace of Minoas”. Among these discoveries, a compass from Zakros presents particular interest, as well as a lid of a compass from Mochlos, where, on the place of the handhold there is a form of dog laid down on its abdomen. This depiction most likely gives us the general characteristics of the dog that lived in Crete between 2700 and 2500 B.C. Based on these elements, the description of the Minoan dog, that we give below, should be very close to reality: a Long and slim body, a long head with a thin muzzle, small ears - usually erect, but sometimes turning backwards, a thin waist with long, slim legs, a long fat tail, often slightly curved. These characteristics bring the dog very close to the Egyptian hound morphologically, from which it most probably comes from. 
                The same type of dog must have continued living in Crete and in the early Geometric Period (900-650 B.C.), if we consider a relative depiction on a cupreous blade, that was found in Idaio Andro and is kept in the museum of Heraklion (room 121 proth.169).
                The most famous place for breeding genuine Cretan dogs had been in Western Crete and mainly the region of Kydonia (current Chania); it is said that Kydon, the founder of the city, had been bred by a female Cretan dog. Another testimony lays in the depiction of a dog with the same characteristics on asardio of the 4th and 3rd c. B.C. that is found in the museum of Heraklion. Oppianus (2nd century A.D.) in his work “Kinigetika” (About Hunting- chapter1,401) describes a dog with characteristics similar to the current Cretan Tracer. 
Still, there are many testimonies of visitors who were found in Crete after its occupation by the Turks (1700-1800A.D.) that all confirm the presence of the Cretan dog at that time. Zoologist K.Keler (one of the most appreciable and reliable cynologists who had profoundly studied sight hounds - of the Levrier type, after having assembled them in one team that comes from the ancient Abissinian dog (Canis Simensis), considers the Cretan dog as a genuine sight hound that maintained its initial characteristics: Thin, long head, sharp muzzle, spacious rib cage, slender loins and tall muscular legs. According to historical testimonies, the virtues and the types of use of the Minoan dog were many: Robust and brave it was used for hunting the wild boar (except for the hare). As it was very fast it, could run comfortably next to the horses and that was why it was also called “parippos” Polydeykis (running next to the horses). Gifted with unique resistance (that is why it was called “diaponos”- laborious) it could chase in hursh rocky terrain and in thick woodlands.  It was also used as a sheepdog, as a guardian and as companion in trekking. During antiquity, as Ovid informs us in ‘Metamorphoses 3 ’(p.207) it was not possible for a pack of hunting dogs to exist, without a good Cretan dog.
All the above very interesting facts by foreign writers are reported by the dear colleague and old friend Mr. I. Karabalakis, former supervisor of the Faculty of Veterinary Science in Crete and chairman of the Cretan Association for the Protection and Rescue of Indigenous Fauna (ΠΑ.ΣΥ.Π.Δ.Ι.Π.) Reaching the period of mid-war and precisely in 1933, the first archaelogist and curator of antiquities in Heraklio, memorable Sp. Marinatos, a passionate hunter and dog lover, published in ‘Kingetika Nea’ (Hunting News) a very interesting article titled ‘The Famous Cretan Dog of Ancient Times’. There he suggested founding an association for the protection and growth of the Cretan dog and he deposited 500 Drs (the monthly wage of the time being 1500 Drs).        Unfortunately, this commendable effort failed due to the indifference from the part of hunters and the lack of Marinatos’ scientific training (cynological knowledge and experience) so as to be able to study and determine the morphological type (breed standard) of the Cretan dog.
We, as mentioned before, after almost 40 years that we began the research, (round 1955), in order to firstly get to know this “fabulous Phoenix”, the Cretan Tracer, and then be able to study it.               
As we have said before, up to 1993 our efforts would be leading to nowhere, until suddenly, in 1994 we managed to gather enough material (photographs, information) and in order to complete our study we went to Crete in September for the final morphological examination and measurement of Cretan Tracers in the region of Ierapetra and Sitia. After all these, we set the national morphological type (breed standard) of the Cretan breed and now we are happy to publish it. Some Cretan Tracers have already been included in the Greek Book of Certified dogs (EBA), which after having been examined, we consider that they meet the breed’s standard.