Alf was our first Afghan Hound.  He was born on August 4, 1988, and came to us in 1989 with his name.   Abdul Kamahl means "servant of perfection" in Persian.  He was with us for more than 11 years.  Alf was our loyal, loving friend; and protector and playmate of our 6 children.  He defended our calves from coyotes and our chickens from wild dogs.  He ran and played in the pasture with our two half Arabian mares, and took our breath away with his gracefulness, speed, and beauty.  Here is his story in pictures....

Alf came to live with us when he was about a year and a half old.  We thought he was 'just a big, goofy looking, hairy dog'.  We were CLUELESS!

He was very matted, so we had him clipped (NEVER again).  We have since learned that 'puppy coat drop' was probably responsible. 

His wonderful temperament was obvious immediately, and his hair soon began to grow out.  He made himself right at home.

In January, 1993, we moved from S. Florida (the city) to a 300 acre farm in the Cumberland Mountains in Kentucky.  Since then, Alf has been a farm Afghan Hound.  Visitors who saw him here in our very rural area sometimes asked us, 'What is that?'  And sometimes even, 'Is that a dog???'  My usual answer was, 'No, it's an Afghan Hound'.

<= Alf and his son, Samson.  On March 28, 1995, Alf's only puppies were born.  Visit them at:

Ice Storm - Feb. 1994 - A Boy (Edwin Farley) And His Dog.

In 1998, when he was 9, Alf sometimes went with me to visit his grandkids.  This set was taken in Fondulac, Wisconsin, when we visited there in May, 1998.  'Felicity' is giving 'grandpa' a run for his $$$!

These Polaroids were taken on August 3, 1998, the day before Alf's 10th birthday.

All the years he lived here, Alf ran loose on our 300 acres.  Every day he was sure to tell his son, Samson, that HE was still 'The Boss'.  He patrolled the fields, kept the coyotes away from our calves, and protected our home.  He put all the barn cats up the trees every day 'just for fun' - but almost never hurt one.

At the right, Alf is 'naked' in the bath' at 11.5 years old.  The photo below was made later the same day when we finished grooming him.  Till the day he passed over the bridge at going on 13 years old, he still had one of the most awesome toplines I've ever yet seen on a living Afghan Hound.  I have now studied books & photos for almost 10 years, have been to a lot of shows in the past 6 years, and have attended the past 3 National Specialties.  The Afghan Hound Breed Standard (American Version) says, 'Back line appearing practically level from the shoulders to the loin.'  I still have yet to see a better one.  Even in old age, he still had good muscling along his back, so his topline was  very smooth, not with a big notch at the anticline.  He did not have an apparent 'withers'.  in these photos, He didn't have quite the muscle here that he had

in his younger days.  Then, the 'slight arch over the loin' the Breed standard calls for was also apparent as well as more muscle and arch of neck.  Note the 'shoulders which are long and sloping and VERY well laid back.'; and the angle of croup to match.  Note the long and well set under upper arm, good length of rear, and good bend of stifle.

Alf was a 'square' dog, measuring 28" at the top of the shoulder, and 28" from chest to buttocks.  He weighed about 62 lbs, with long, strong, neither too fine nor too coarse bone, and hard muscling.  He had a good length of rib cage, and comparatively short loin, with good spring of rib, and medium width.  His depth of brisket was good, and tuck up of loin excellent.  He had very short, strong hocks.  His feet were huge and strong with thick pads - he never had a single problem with his feet running on our acreage  all those years.  He used to get out in the hill pastures and race our two 1/2 Arabian mares, and outrun them going uphill.  He was a sight to die for, hair flying, leaping and dodging gullies, rocks, and thickets.  He was groomed about once a month, whether he needed it or not, and rarely had mats - so his coat texture was really excellent.  He had a tight scissors bite, and complete dentition too.

Many of his excellent qualities have been carried on in his kids, grandkids, and now the first litter of great grandkids - especially that awesome topline!