Antelope Hound

The Antelope Hound is a medium breed of Sighthound, standing at around 1.8-2.1 feet at its shoulder, and weighing in at around 35-70 pounds. Like other Sighthound breeds, they are lithe and tend to look smaller than they actually are because of it. They usually live to be around 12-14 years.

Believed to have come from crossing Wuxine Pariah dogs with Southern Windhunds, this breed is well built for handling the heat of the desert, while also being incredibly fast. While they are not as fast as their Windhund ancestors, they can run up to 45 miles per hour, and have high enough stamina to hold that speed for a few minutes before needing to stop and recover. Similarly, they have better eyesight than hearing and scent, but their senses are closer to being even in their strength.

They are able to go up to four days without water, and about three weeks without eating, though they are often a little weaker and have much less energy if they haven't had any water or food after about three days. This allows them to travel with hunters for long periods of time in areas with little food or water.

In appearance, they are lithe, and generally quite skinny, though this is a sign of a healthy dog rather than a starving dog. Their ears can be floppy, bent, or pricked, or even a mix of two, though they more often than not have floppy ears. Their colors vary greatly from dark brown to reddish-brown, often with some sort of white marking on their face and chest, or black mask. They can be black or white as well, though white is especially uncommon.

Distribution

They are mostly found within the southward desert, and in the savannah, though rarely much further north as they don't have much use outside the desert. Some nobles keep them simply because they find them pretty, but these dogs are generally not working dogs.

Uses

As their name suggests, they are largely used to hunt antelope or deer in and around the desert. They are fast enough to chase down their prey, and large enough to be able to take them down. They are more often than not run in pairs, as bringing down large antelope is easier with two dogs, rather than one. They are also used to hunt smaller animals like rabbits and foxes, and as pest control.

Relations

Antelope hounds tend to be one person dogs, though they aren't aggressive towards strangers. Rather, these dogs tend to be timid and shy around strangers, and more likely to hide behind their owners than growl or bark. Getting them used to strangers when they're still puppies can make this less likely. They can also be dog aggressive, so dogs that will be run together as hunting dogs need to be raised together.

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