By Andrei Khalip
REUTERS
LIMA, Peru - His eyes gleaming with joy underneath a natural yellow mohawk, Josh the Peruvian Hairless Dog heads out to greet tourists at Lima’s Pucllana ruins.
About the size of an English pointer, Josh and his kin are not guard dogs, instead they are guarded behind the walls of this and other historic monuments on the Peruvian coast — the hairless hound’s habitat for more than 3,000 years.
They are part of the historic scenery here, but the canine breed almost became history several years back.
“Now we can say they are safe, saved by this project, but a few years ago the Peruvian Hairless Dog was under threat of extinction in Peru,” said Pedro Vargas, coordinator of the Huaca Pucllana archeological project excavating an ancient temple site of the Lima civilization dating back to 500.
The breed normally has hair resembling a mohawk on the head and a tail brush, but otherwise has naked dark, very warm skin.
Conquistador dog fights
Its history is long and rather sad, especially after the Spanish conquest starting in 1532.
Native pre-Incan civilizations used the dogs for hunting and as pets for company. They are represented on the ceramic pottery of the Chimu, Moche and Chancay cultures found on the coast.
They were sometimes mummified and buried along with people to help the departed find their way to the world of the dead or to continue serving their owners in the afterlife.
The Spanish brought giant war dogs to fight the natives and would often amuse themselves by setting off one such dog against a small pack of the smaller local breed.