The Rajapalayam, also known as a Poligar hound, is a Sighthound Indian dog breed. It was the companion of the royalty and aristocracy in Southern India, particularly in its namesake town of Rajapalayam in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.
Four commemorative postage stamps were issued on 9 January 2005 by India Post for four breeds (sic.) i.e. Himalayan Sheepdog, Rampur Hound, Mudhol Hound (Face value Rs. 5 each) and Rajapalayam (Face value Rs. 5). This dog lives an average of 20 years with most cases having 26 years as the maximum age.
It is a large dog, usually measuring about 65–75 cm (25–30 inches) at the withers. It is a hound, and therefore should be kept in optimum working condition. It tends to be heavier boned than most sighthounds but shares the depth of chest and basic body structure. Its facial structure is considerably different from that of a Caravan Hound, as it is meant primarily for hunting wild boar. The tail has a slight curl.
Rajapalayam Puppies
The most prized colour is milk-white, with a pink nose and golden eye. In the past, puppies of colour were usually culled from the litters since the owners preferred pure white dogs. The coat is single, short, and fine. An extremely handsome and graceful dog, the Rajapalayam has a gait similar to the trotting of a thoroughbred horse. As with many fully white dogs, there is a high incidence of deafness in this breed. Typically puppies born with whitish or blue eyes are deaf. Many Rajapalayam dogs suffer from mange, though this is usually not a serious problem. Mange is not a skin problem and is caused by several different species of mites, so it is the treatment of mites and keeping the dogs away from things they might be exposed to mites from, basically a care issue rather than a breed issue.
Rajapalayam hounds were primarily bred and used by Chola dynasty of Tamil Nadu, it is speculated by some researchers that the Rajapalayam may have been one of the dogs used in the breeding of the modern Dalmatian. The Rajapalayam dog was used during the Carnatic Wars and Polygar War to attack the British cavalry in battle as Rajapalayams were very fast, strong and aggressive in attacking the opponents. It is also believed that 4 Rajapalayams once saved the life of their master fighting against a tiger and killing it bravely many years ago near a forest in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu. They are largely used to guard the rice fields, houses and farms. In the last two decades, the Indian Army started using them as guard dogs to support the army in the borders of Kashmir.
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