The Silken Windhound – Made In The USA

Click here to read the complete article
296 – April, 2023

By Amy Fernandez

Compared to other countries, America really doesn’t have many genuine native breeds. I would argue that both the Chihuahua and the Chinese Crested deserve that status, but I’m not the CEO. However, our homegrown purebreds are quintessential American success stories. Before I get tangled up in those weeds let me get to the Silken Windhound because this breed is a grassroots, Made In America product straight out of Austin, Texas.

?We live in the age of Doodles where crossbreeding is ubiquitous. It’s easy enough to cross two breeds and come up with a cute name for a big price tag. Things become far more challenging when you attempt to stabilize that genetic mishmash in succeeding generations. The Australian Labradoodle is possibly the most notorious failed attempt to accomplish this feat. Consolidating multiple breeds and traits into a single, consistent type is very hard work indeed.

?Francie Stull is acknowledged as the founder of the Silken Windhound breed. Prior to embarking on this endeavor she had a long, successful career as a Borzoi breeder under the Kristull prefix. She also kept Deerhounds and later added some Lurchers to her Austin, Texas kennel. Although she loved these breeds, none of them fit her vision of sighthound perfection.

?That led her to that truly American approach to problem-solving. Build it yourself. In this case, Borzoi, Whippet and Lurcher formed the genetic foundation. She knew what she was looking for and in 1985 the first Silken litter arrived at Kristull Ranch. These pups looked interesting. It was time to get serious. She opened a studbook, began DNA sampling everything and this homegrown experiment soon attracted wider notice.

Click here to read the complete article
296 – April, 2023

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=259774

Posted by AnthonyA on Apr 21 2023. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.