Born. 2.2.2003, Black&tan male
Breeder: Kirsti Korpikallio, Hailuoto (kennel Hienohelman)
Owner: Johanna Männistö, Varkaus

Name: Rasmus
Nicknames: Ramses Ensimmäinen (Ramses the first), Ramsetto, Rampeto, Peto (Beast), Bamse, Ransu, Mörkö (Boogeyman), Pöppänä, Pönttöpää, Tohtori Paniikkipilleri, Hytkypylly, Karvamööpeli, Herra hylje (Mister Seal), Tuusku, Poju, Löppämönkiäinen, Möhköpöntiäinen, Epäkoira, Rokkitukka, Pumpe.

The Afghan Hound - A different dog experience

I have always lived in a family with dogs. We've had German Shepherds, Kleiner Münsterländers, even one German Shorthaired Pointer, and dogs have kind of grown under my skin as part of my lifestyle.

When I moved away to study I for the first time faced years without dogs. My home seemed empty, but at that time it wasn't allowed to get pets to the student dormitory where I lived. One spring, after three years without a canine companion, I decided to start looking for the most suitable breed for me - In advance, I pretended. Getting a Pointer or another gundog would have been the easiest choice since I already had a lot of experience with them. But it was the first time I was making the choice all by myself and wanted to explore my options.

As 5 month's old..	.. and 8 months old puppy.

I had for a long time admired sighthounds, especially Afghan Hounds, Salukis and Borzois. I began to search for information about them and started to think an Afghan Hound could be the one for me. I didn't even get scared of the amount of work you have to put into the maintenance of the coat. The breed, that before had seemed a somewhat distant dream, a breed too royal for an ordinary student like me, began to seem like just the right one.

At the same time I contacted the breeder of Rasmus and she told me she still had two puppies available. I found out, that the rules had changed in the dormitory I lived, and it was now allowed to have some pets there. It seemed like everything just fell into place, and so Rasmus, as I named my beareded little Afghan boy, came to fill the emptiness of my household.

I once read somewhere, that the Afghan Hound is not just a dog - he is 1/4 canine, 1/4 feline, 1/4 equine and 1/4 human. If you add a handful of kangaroo jumping ability, I think you've got the right mixture! The Afghan Hound has been a very different experience compared to our other dogs.

Rasmus is in many ways a true gentleman. He is very sweet and calm with people. He doesn't fuss and treats strangers with distant aloofness. But if he gets to know you, and thinks you are nice, he greets you warmly if you come to visit. His greatest demonstration of joy is to first rub his head and neck against you, then run fast to my bed to lie down, and then maybe back to you. Also outside the house he seems to express his joy mostly by running and jumping around you clearly smiling, but never touching you or stumbling into you.

Running is his greatest passion. In the cities there aren't many safe places to let him loose, so sometimes you have to use your imagination to find places where sighthounds can freely run. If you have a car, you can drive outside of town to some sandpits, fields or forests. Within the city you can always go to dogparks and in the winter the dogs are allowed to run on the ice of the lakes.

Like any true afghan, Rasmus' next favorite hobby after running is relaxing. He always finds the softest and most comfortable place in the room, like the sofa or the bed, but switches, if it gets too crowded. For example, he doesn't like to be with me on a sofa for two, but climbs gladly with me on a sofa for three.

It seems that his goal in life is to do everything with the least possible effort - and nothing if it isn't completely necessary. However, he is also a very cunning thief with an urge to never get caught. He has always been selective with his food, so you can leave certain foods on the table safely - such as bread, fruits and vegetables. He isn't interested in them. But any kind of meat, chicken, cheese, butter, and everything that contains any of those, won't be safe if the Afghan is around. Still, he never tries to steal if you are there to see it - But he waits for the right moment and strikes just when you are not being alert, and can cleverly cover his tracks.

Because Rasmus loves running, and because he also is very interested in chasing prey, the perfect hobby for us has been the lure-coursing. He isn't into shows as much, but lure-coursing is something he is very excited about. We have also competed in it here in Finland, and he has gained CQ's and three times the Pohjois-Savo district's Championship. Nice achievements for a quite heavy coated, large male!

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