President’s Message 2022

As I continue my tenure trying to fill the shoes of those who have sat at this desk before me, I find myself contemplating both how things have changed in our world and how they remain the same.  Covid continues to have a major impact on all our lives, dividing us by loss of social interactions in person, and political ideologies.  Battles the Society has fought in the past have surfaced again.  The Centers for Disease Control has stopped importations for our Countries of Origin as the risk of rabies and retail rescue impact directly the homelands of our Salukis.

On the positive side, and it is a BIG positive, AKC has given our Salukis the ability to participate in the PAL program without de-sexing.  This allows our imports, Gen 1, and Gen 2 Salukis to be able to compete in all AKC Performance events.  We were able to get a critique scheduled over the summer which allowed four Salukis to complete their critiques, two of whom have been entered into the Studbook. It looks like the additional critiques on hold may be able to be completed soon.

Yes, our numbers are down, significantly.  With increased opportunities here in the US, we see a loss of routine imports from the Middle East. Part of this is our changing world and the urbanization, hence loss of tribal lifestyles, part is the rise of the racing paradigm as hunting is lost throughout the region.

The Society continues to actively promote the use of FCI in Middle Eastern countries that are now trying to walk an FCI path. We also provide any information or assistance we can as requested.   Education on proper vet care, feeding practices, and general Saluki information remains difficult even with the advent of social media as language is a barrier.

If you want to help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact the Secretary.  No action is too small.

 

Mary Beth Rogers