The Pharaoh Hound is the oldest domesticated dog in recorded history. Two hounds aredepicted hunting Gazelle on a circular disc which is thought to have been part of a game. The date, around 4000 B.C., was certainly before the first dynasty. The origin of this hound in prehistoric times has been the subject of research by many Egyptologists. They conclude that if this race of dogs could have resulted from a mixture of many kinds of wild canidae, it is quite natural that from time to time, one of these elegant individuals would crop up with the elegant silhouette of Canis Doerdelini, the beautiful limbs of the Canis Lupaster, & the long nose, erect ears & gentle nature of the Pariah or Wandering Dog of Egypt. They were seen as representatives of the Ancient Gods by the original Egyptians. The dogs were favored as the hunters and faithful, loyal companions in the daily life of the kings and nobles of all periods in Ancient Egypt & were frequently depicted in carvings.

In the 1950s Professor W B Emery, while excavating the great mastaba tomb of Queen Her-Neith at Saqqara discovered the remains of a hunting dog buried at the threshold of the Queen's tomb. Her-Neith, believed to be the wife of the Pharaoh Djer, had chosen to be buried with just her loyal hound to accompany her into the after-life. The remains are remarkably similar to the dog we know today as the Pharaoh hound.

In 1935, in the tomb of Antefa II near the Pyramid of Cheops at Giza, Dr George Reisner found an inscription recording the burial of Abuwtiyuw, a hound given full burial honours by the order of the Pharaoh "that he (the hound) may be honoured before the great God, Anubis". Within the inscribed text was a drawing of the hound Abuwtiyuw, which has since been adopted as the badge of the Pharaoh Hound Club. These are just two examples, which demonstrate the high regard with which the people of ancient Egypt held the Egyptian Hound.

During the time of the demise of the reign of the Pharaohs, Phoenician traders carried this sacred hound to the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo. Once on the islands, the breed was isolated from the rest of the world for nearly 2000 years. There has been much discussion about the origins of the breed, and a small number of people consider that it is possible it was developed on Malta thousands of years ago and exported to Egypt in a reversal of what is commonly accepted as the probable route. There is however compelling arguments for ancient Egypt as the cradle of this beautiful and enchanting breed. Perhaps some day DNA testing will prove beyond doubt that ancient Egypt is the birthplace, but it was Malta that developed and nurtured the breed in the 2,000 years since it first landed on those shores.

The breed itself was probably developed by careful selection and cross-breeding, a practice which began in very early times: the ancient Egyptians were skilful stockmen. The dog which was the familiar companion of the Kings of Egypt was probably the product of well-matched stock from the gentle-eyed feral dogs (canis familiaris), which can still be found in Upper Egypt, and the small Egyptian or golden jackal, producing a cross-breed called, by one Egyptological authority, canis lupaster domesticus. Of this type the very ancient god Wepwawet, a predecessor of Anubis, is the most familar example. The dogs probable descent from the jackal is suggested by several factors: its distinctive red-gold colour, its capacity as a scavenger, and its very curious practice of 'calling'. This seems to be another jackal inheritance, for in the close family unitys of the animals in the wild, jackal parents will always recognize and respond to the call of one of their pups.