Meet the two new dog breeds added to the American Kennel Club's roster

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The American Hairless Terrier (left) and the sloughi - the former a breed developed in the 1970s and the latter thought to date back thousands of years - have both been newly added to the American Kennel Club's list of recognised breeds. Photos: AP

Published: 9:31am, 6 Jan 2016

A hairless terrier and an ancient North African hound are ready to run with the pack of dog breeds recognised by the American Kennel Club.

The organisation announced Tuesday that the American hairless terrier and the sloughi have joined 187 other recognised breeds. The newcomers can now compete in most AKC shows and competitions, though not at the prominent Westminster Kennel Club show until next year.

The two new breeds are different in many ways, but “both breeds make wonderful companions for the right family,” AKC spokeswoman Gina DiNardo said.

The sloughi, also called the Arabian greyhound, has traditionally been used to hunt game as big as gaelles. Photo: AP

Many American hairless terriers are, as advertised, bare-skinned, though others have short coats but carry the hairless gene. Their rise began when a hairless puppy emerged in a litter of rat terriers in the 1970s, wowing a Louisiana couple who decided to breed the hairless dogs deliberately, according to the American Hairless Terrier Club of America’s website.

The lively, inquisitive terriers can do well at canine sports and as pets for people with dog-hair allergies.

The sloughi, also called the Arabian greyhound, was developed to hunt game as big as gazelles. The lean, leggy dogs have some similarities to salukis, another hound breed from North Africa.