The Kyrgyz Sighthound, sometimes called the Kyrgyz Taigan, or mountain sighthound, is a breed we may know better as the Taigan. This exquisite dog has a long, soft, silky coat that is sometimes way, rarely curly, but typically thick, this to enable the dog to work in the rugged steppes and mountains that stretch along the Kyrgyz-China border.

The Taigan coat is unique in how it grows on the dog (you can see a full body photograph here): Short hair covers the front of the dog’s head and its muzzle. The forelegs from the hocks to the pads of the hind legs are also short haired, as are the dog’s back and the waist. Longer hair up to three inches in length covers the backside of the dog’s head, as well as its neck, shoulders, forearms and the back of its forelegs. Long hair on the ears, called the “bourki,” protects the ears from being injured by the hind legs when running, while relatively longer hair grows on the Taigan’s feet helping to protect them when hunting on rocky land. A sword or saber shaped tail is thin and forms a ring at its tip called a “ring.” This is a distinguishing mark of the breed: The base vertebras of the ring are jointed, so that the “ring” cannot be unrolled, nor should one try.

Image: We would very much like to credit this photo we found on Pinterest, but haven’t had luck in tracking down the “Rowena” whose mark appears on the photo in order to ask permission to use it. We’ve found “Rowenas” that are wedding photographers, food photographers, architecture photographers, as well as Rowenas that excel at photographs of landscapes, horses, and pregnant women. One Rowena’s work is too disturbing to even describe. If anyone happens to recognize this photograph and may know how to reach the person who took it, please let us know so that we can ask for consent.