![]() In over 30 years of visiting LI town shelters, he was the first sight hound puppy I ever pulled, and finding a shelter Ibizan puppy was even more remarkable. I picked up the three-and-a-half-month-old puppy at the shelter last Wednesday after his neuter. This escape artist skill is another reason they are best suited with experienced sight hound owners. Ibizans have the unique ability to be able to jump six feet in the air from a standstill. They are sight and sound hunters, with rabbit as their usual quarry. Ibizans are about the same size as the largest Podengo but have more chiseled, sight hound heads like Pharaoh Hounds or Borzois. With deer-like elegance, this graceful breed was a hunting companion to the pharaohs of Egypt before being brought to Ibiza by Phoenician traders. Meanwhile, the Ibizan Hound is named for the island of Ibiza off the coast of Spain. The small ones hunt rabbits while the larger varieties hunt wild boar in their native land. Podengos are lively and spirited, and can jump straight up like a kangaroo. ![]() Only Podengo Pequenos are currently recognized by the AKC. They come in three sizes: Pequeno (small), Medio and Grande. Portuguese Podengos are a breed of hunting dogs, smooth or coated, developed in Portugal centuries ago. Once “Ibizan” was mentioned, the shelter’s breed opinion changed also. She thought he resembled a Portuguese Podengo as compared to several Podengos either surrendered or redeemed at the shelter by members of the Portuguese community in Farmingville. She said the stray was a puppy with baby teeth, and that in profile his nose was quite pointy. The next morning I called the staff member to say he looked like a small Ibizan Hound, and that such a shelter rarity would be best placed through Ibizan or Sight Hound Rescue because of the breed’s complexity. ![]() Wait a minute could it be? Immediately I shared the post with sight hound and dog-savvy friends, adding the curt question- “Ibizan Hound?” We’d need more views to confirm the breed of the dog in the photo, since we were basing our analysis on only one full face view. On July 16 a staff member posted a picture on the Brookhaven Shelter Strays Facebook page of a dog with rabbit ears, a long snout and a cute pink nose, saying he was a male stray picked up in Medford. No, this phrase is not from a Starbucks menu, or a longer version of Shakespeare’s “To be, or not to be?” Instead it suggests the logical choices while verifying the breed of an adorable puppy that surfaced at Brookhaven Town Shelter. Ibizan or Portuguese Podengo Grande? That is the question. ![]()
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