Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and I add my welcome to Paul's to the first session of the 4^th Afghan Hound World Congress. As I said at the Welcome Party on Wednesday night, it is wonderful to see you all here, and now I can add that it is even better to see you so obviously enjoying yourselves. The National was fantastic, wasn't it? - even if we do say so ourselves!

And now on to the question on everybody's lips: apart from working like a beaver for the National & Congress, who is this woman who has been entrusted with the delivery of the first paper of the Congress?

Well, I am one of those rare birds who, having lost interest in showing, never lost interest in the breed. Afghan Hounds are still a large part of my life, and I hope I will always share my home with at least one. They also comprise a large part of what I find interesting, and their culture and care are all important to me.

But just to prove that I was an exhibitor, here's the picture! We look pretty professional, Shan & I, in 1964, belying the fact that it was only our fourth or fifth Show. And before you condemn the grooming, it had been raining, and in those early days my energy was more directed to keeping myself dry and presentable than the dog. However you may rest assured I quickly developed a proper sense of priority.

The topic for the 4^th World Congress is "Afghan Hounds into the New Millennium", but in order to look at the prospects for the Afghan Hound in the future, it is necessary to look at its past, however briefly.

Origins: The breed's origins are probably lost in the mists of time. Not a lot is known about it and likely never will be. I, like others who describe themselves as "canine historians", became came very interested indeed a couple of years ago when DNA studies revealed what just about everyone knew, that domestic dogs descended from wolves rather than coyotes etc. The excitement arose from the fact that sighthounds and some other breeds had been found to have certain DNA qualities that indicated that they were closer to wolves than most other breeds. The excitement died down however, when the other breeds on this list were revealed- Bulldogs, I believe, were amongst them.

What we do know is that our hounds are part of the Eastern Greyhound family, and that they came from Afghanistan in the early part of the 20^th century, brought to the west by military personnel returning from that country. Controversy was almost instant, with the "desert v mountain type" argument. Nowadays it is accepted that there were, in all probability, many types, varying from region to region, and bred to the size, shape and coat to perform well in hunting over the local terrain.

Transition: That the Afghan changed once in western hands is undeniable. For the first time in the hound's history, function was not the most important aspect of its existence - it exotic beauty was, and ever since fashion has overruled function in the breed's evolution.

But are modern Afghans so dissimilar to the original models? In reality it is often possible to see similar type and structure in modern and ancient hounds. The difference in appearance, albeit appearing vast, is often only cosmetic and attributable to better care and conditioning.

The well-known 1907 photograph of "Zardin" [Fig.1] reveals a dog totally recognizable as an Afghan Hound today, and most of you will be familiar with a drawing [Fig. 2} which has appeared in a number of publications about the breed. It is of a Meenah of Jajurh with his Afghan Hound and is dated 1813. I, and others, have sometimes wondered about the authenticity of its date, but as it has gone unchallenged by experts we must accept it as probably the only early depiction of the Afghan we will ever see.

Reproduced here is a picture [Fig.3] of a young bitch born in the mid-sixties, Ch.Emir Belazuli, belonging to the late Lorraine Hilder. "Babu" bore an uncanny resemblance to the hound in the print, and the Meenah would hardly have noticed the difference had she been by his side.

I also offer some illustrations [Figs.4-9] of Australian hounds from earlier times and their modern counterparts - degrees of similarity vary immensely, but many of the early hounds, given the care and attention lavished on modern hounds, would have been more than respectable representatives of the breed.

THE Present: The breed has travelled far in function and popularity since "moving West". It has come almost full circle from being novelty and show dog in the first quarter of the 20^th century, waxing and waning in popularity as a pet and status symbol over 70-odd years, to being novelty and show dog in the first quarter of the 21^st century. In Australia, the Afghan is not a favoured breed as a pet- it does however rule supreme in the showring.

The breed is more glamorous than ever, with new developments in coat care achieving this. And I don't consider that this beauty is all the modern hound has to offer. There are lovely heads, good size and shape, spectacular movement. But some things have been lost also, perhaps never to be re-established in the breed.

Shoulders are a problem- so much so that the theory has arisen that a good layback and nice angles are not necessary, indeed undesirable, in our hounds. But those of us who have seen the real thing know that this is not so. There is nothing that can stir the soul so much as the sight of a classically constructed Afghan on the move, and it is a pity that those who have put forward this theory have never, and probably never will, see it.

Temperaments too have changed. The modern Afghan has a nice temperament, but is it an Afghan one? Where is the "certain keen fierceness?" Are they "aloof and dignified?" Is "showiness" and "attitude" (in all its shades and grades) really all we require in our breed?

But I don't despair over temperament - there are sufficient charmingly eccentric hounds, free-booting thieving hounds and delightfully disobedient hounds slipping through the net to reverse the trend towards blandness, should breeders see fit to do so.

Overall I don't subscribe to the theory that the modern Afghan has "gone to hell in a handbasket". They are still lovely, graceful, exotic, with many beautiful specimens of the breed to be seen all over the world. I do hold out the hope though, that breeders resist the urge to pursue change to the extent that breed characteristics are lost forever.

What lies ahead: Afghans in Society: Let's be honest - the Afghan is not a practical breed for these increasing busy times. With the changes in social conditions, cultural conditions, family units etc. there is not time for most folk to take on a high maintenance breed. If a dog is acquired at all in the modern family it will be a drip-dry, wash & wear, no-nonsense, Jack Russel type. The type, in fact, that proliferated in my childhood, when every average home had a Foxie or Kelpie cross, and the ownership of more exotic breeds was the prerogative of the rich.

This must impact on the Afghan Hound, as a healthy pet market is essential for the well-being of any breed, particularly as dog-showing is a pastime that will be very badly affected by the social changes mentioned above.

What lies ahead: Afghans in the show ring: The story is different in the ring, where the breed enjoys continuing popularity and success - more so than other breeds. However, the fact that breed show folk are (dare I say it) an ageing population, cannot help but impact on the breed in the ring as well. If "new blood" is not recruited the situation will deteriorate rapidly.

Survival Aids: Technology: Developments in the science of reproductive technology have great potential for a challenged breed like the Afghan. Ova transplants, more successful use of AI etc., cloning even, all have very obvious roles to play in the preservation of bloodlines for numerically small breeds. However, I am sure these will bring their own set of problems as well. Ethical issues will arise and access to such techniques will be expensive. However, they are probably the way of the future, and countries with regulations limiting the use of available technology should press for change now.

The limits of the gene pool of Afghan hounds may also impact on the breed in the future. The number of individual hounds imported early on is small, and transfusions of new blood by way of imports from Afghanistan have been few. Although DNA evidently renews and regenerates itself in a way quite beyond my comprehension, I still feel that unsuspected inbreeding could go far to explain some of the trends in our breed. For instance, did a large number of breeders simultaneously decide, a decade or so ago, that big coats were an anathema and had to go? Or could it be that heavy concentrations of line or in-breeding to sparsely coated early imports finally kicked in and produced the much lighter coats seen in some countries today?

However, access to a different gene pool could be available throughs the "Aboriginal Afghans" brought into Russia by soldiers returning from the war in Afghanistan (that scenario has a familiar ring, does it not?). These hounds have been maintained as a separate breed from "show" Afghans, and DNA research could be put to good use to identify those most suitable to incorporate into existing western bloodlines.

Survival Aids: Globalisation: The impact of electronic communication cannot be better illustrated than by this gathering today. How many of us received our Congress information by E-mail or over the Web? How many of us "know" each other although we have never really met until this week? Interaction between breeders, no matter where they are, has never been greater, and this cannot be anything but good.

Existing breeding stock can be used much more effectively in a "world scene", and the above mentioned reproductive technology will make this possible. Additionally, quarantine laws are being restructured in some countries, so there is little to stand in the way of a "world" Afghan Hound.

Conclusions: The Afghan will survive in the new millennium primarily as a show dog, but numbers will almost certainly decrease and the breed will probably not achieve vast popularity again. The preservation of the breed will be an increasingly important task, but that there will be some that are up to the challenge is obvious from the large number of people here that have travelled around the world for one reason, their love of the breed. The Afghan Hound is, for the most part, in good hands, and its future, however restricted, is pretty much assured.