Cirneco dell'Etna

Dogs of this light, prick-eared Mediterranean type have been associated with Sicily for a very long time, and coins minted in the ancient Sicilian city of Segesta carry images of a slender hunting dog that Sicilians have long linked to the Cirneco. What can be documented with confidence is more recent: by the early twentieth century the breed survived as a working rabbit dog in the countryside around Mount Etna, kept by farmers and hunters rather than by show breeders.

The modern breed owes its survival to two people. In 1932 the Sicilian veterinary surgeon Maurizio Migneco published an article drawing attention to how few good specimens were left. The Sicilian noblewoman Baroness Agata Paterno Castello read it and began collecting and breeding the best dogs she could find from around 1934, working with hunters across the island. An Italian standard followed, and the breed was recognised internationally in the mid-1950s.

The Cirneco remains genuinely rare. Italian registrations have run at only around a hundred to a hundred and fifty dogs a year in recent decades, and in Italy a dog must pass a working trial on rabbit before it can gain a full working title, which has helped keep hunting ability in the breed. The American Kennel Club admitted the Cirneco to its Hound Group in 2015, and numbers outside Italy are still small.

This is a light, square, finely built hound. Males stand roughly 18 to 20 inches at the shoulder and weigh about 22 to 29 pounds; females are an inch or two shorter and a few pounds lighter. The frame is all length of leg and depth of chest with almost no bulk, and a fit Cirneco should look lean without looking starved. Movement is a free, springy trot that turns into a fast, agile gallop over broken ground.

The head is a long, narrow wedge carrying tall, rigid, triangular ears set high and held erect, which give the breed its alert, faintly surprised expression. Eyes are small, oval and amber or ochre. The coat is short and sleek on the head, ears and legs and slightly longer on the body, lying close. Colour runs from light sand through isabella to a rich tan, sometimes with white on the chest, feet, muzzle or tail tip; the nose and eye rims are flesh-toned to match the coat rather than black.

The Cirneco is often compared with the Pharaoh Hound, which it resembles in outline. The Cirneco is noticeably smaller and lighter, and its build reflects the terrain it hunts: sharp volcanic rock demands tough feet and a dog light enough to place them carefully.

Cirnechi are affectionate and gentle with their own people, and most are content to spend the evening curled against someone on the sofa. They are not clingy in the way many companion breeds are, and they retain a hound's independence: attentive when something interests them, politely absent when it does not.

With strangers the breed is typically reserved rather than suspicious. A Cirneco will usually announce a visitor and then, once satisfied, get on with its day. They are not guard dogs and were never asked to be one, though their alertness makes them reasonable watchdogs in a modest, noticing sort of way.

The hunting drive is the trait that shapes daily life with this breed. A Cirneco that catches sight or scent of a rabbit, squirrel or cat will pursue it, and their sensitivity to sound and movement is exceptional. Most owners treat off-lead freedom as something that happens only inside a secure fence. With other dogs they are generally sociable, and they usually settle well with children who have been taught to handle a light-boned dog gently.

They are sensitive to harsh handling. Raised voices and heavy corrections tend to make a Cirneco shut down rather than comply, and the breed responds far better to food, praise and a handler who keeps sessions short and cheerful.

The Cirneco's job is rabbit hunting on rough Sicilian terrain, and it is one of the few hounds that works nose, ears and eyes in combination rather than specialising. A working Cirneco quarters ground, marks a rabbit in cover, and can hunt for hours in heat that would stop heavier dogs. Traditionally it was expected to keep itself in condition on very little food and water, and Sicilian hunters valued the breed precisely because it was cheap to keep and never gave up.

Away from hunting, the breed's speed and agility suit modern dog sports well. Cirnechi do nicely at lure coursing, agility, scent work and rally, all of which give a fast, curious dog a legitimate outlet. In many countries they are simply family companions, and their small size, short coat and quiet indoor manner make them workable in an apartment provided the daily running happens somewhere safe.