Dogs have been around for thousands of years, and when we look into a breed’s history we might be surprised to find that even that specific breed has an ancient history. While many breeds have changed drastically since their origination, others have hardly changed at all. Here’s a list of some breeds who look very much the same as they did in the beginning!
#1 – Akita Inu
This large Japanese breed has maintained two bloodlines, the American and the Japanese lines. While the American dogs are typically larger and heavier. The Japanese dogs, however, have maintained their look throughout their many years
#2 – Basenji
This ancient dog from Africa has managed to maintain its image over the years, despite its growth in popularity and breeding. Not only has the Basenji kept its old-time looks, but it’s also one of the only dogs that doesn’t bark!
#3 – Belgian Malinois
This versatile working dog has hardly changed over the years, despite its various uses in different working venues. In fact, it’s thought that because this breed has stayed primarily a working dog bred for performance, the looks have been left relatively untouched.
#4 – Borzoi
This ancient breed hails from Russia, and like many of the sighthounds has kept its appearance. With its ancestors going all the way back to 1260 AD, we can only judge from paintings and drawings what the breed looked like then. To our surprise, it looked very much like the dog we see today.
#5 – Greyhound
Greyhounds are another ancient sighthound that have hardly changed in appearance. Images and paintings of dogs resembling today’s Greyhound date back to the ancient Egyptian times, the middle ages, and even early industrialization eras.
#6 – Pharaoh Hound
This beautiful dog is as ancient as it’s name sounds, having paintings and sculptures that resemble the breed going back into the ancient Egyptian times. It’s thought, however, that instead of actually coming from Egypt, the breed’s ancestors were brought to Malta by the Phoenicians.
#7 – Pointer
Classic is one of the best words used to describe the Pointers because the dogs really have that appearance. It’s not without reason, as all of the Pointers look very much the same today as they did on ancient Egyptian paintings that are 3,000 years old! As the American Pointer Club says about the 17th, 18th, and 19th-century paintings of pointers, “Their Pointers are superb renderings of a breed type as pure then as today.”
#8 – Saluki
The Saluki is another sighthound that has hardly changed over time. In fact, mummified remains of what appear to be Saluki-like dogs have been discovered, with paintings of similar animals dating back to 7,000 BC.
#9 – Samoyed
Samoyeds are an ancient breed from Northern Russia and Siberia, and their looks have remained relatively unchanged for centuries. The breed is named after the nomadic people that kept them, called the Samoyedes.
#10 – Tibetan Mastiff
The ancient guard dog of Tibet is another breed that has changed little over the years. The earliest written accounts of the breed are from 1,100 BC. Tibetan Mastiffs are thought to be some of the basic stock that modern-day herding dogs are derived from. Judging by old photographs, the breed has kept an appearance similar to what they were decades ago.
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via Whisker Therapy