Pharaoh Hound
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![Pharaoh Hound](/Images/godic/202502/02/Pharaoh_Hound_near_river5522.jpg")
![Hunting in a rubble stone wall in Malta. The dogs are indicating; enabling the hunter to put a ferret there](/Images/godic/202502/02/Klieb_tal-Fenek_hunting5522.jpg")
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The Pharaoh Hound is a breed of dog and the national hound of Malta. Its native name is Kelb tal-Fenek (plural: Klieb tal-Fenek) in Maltese, which means "Rabbit dog". The dog is traditionally used for hunting rabbit in the Maltese Islands.
Based on DNA analysis, the breed has no link with Ancient Egypt. However, a popular myth holds that the breed is descended from the Tesem, one of the ancient Egyptian hunting dogs. Some believe that there are similarities between the breed and images of dogs found on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs. This myth proposes that the Pharaoh Hound was brought by the Phoenicians to Malta, where it has existed for over 2,000 years.