(Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange)
TURKUMAN (Page 3) (Letter from Juliette to Stephanie Hunt Crowley 1965)
Stephanie has kindly sent me a copy of a letter from Juliette de Bairacli Levy dated February 1965. With SHC's permission the transcipt of the letter is shown below - Amirim, Nr Safad, Israel. February 18 1965 Dear Stephanie, I regret very delayed reply to your letter. Since I've been in Israel letter-Writing has become non-existent, what with much daily land-work as well as new books awaiting the writing. I've just finished two short new ones, and now have a long herbal for human use, commissioned by my publishers Faber and Faber, awaiting my attention, and just beginning at present. When you last wrote me, you were just moving. I hope this reaches you, therefore. I'm pleased about the goat addition to your "family". Goats and Afghans go well together, and I nearly always keep them. I've a superb white female Saanen which I bred myself, with black Arabian blood in her pedigree. There are some points in your letter which I must answer. If your Tuli is not yet in season, give her increased dose of N.R. seaweed powder daily, on her meat, and give a month's course of N.R. Raspberry leat tablets. Afghan heads. I feel very strongly on this subject. All the breeders whose Afghan type I admired, Mrs Wood of the Westmills, Miss Matthews of the Westovers, Barbara Fielding of the Kurandas, then in U.S.A Sunny Shay of the Grandeurs, and Cynthia Madigan (now in Spain) of the Branwens, and others, shared my detestation of the thick (broad) head in Afghans.
(Photo of Turkuman Brawen Fleur D'Afghan property of, Ignacio of Sumava Persians and Afghan Hounds, used with Ignacio's permission. Please do not copy or take. An Afghan is a greyhound, a racing and chasing hound. Nature built a streamlined hound. The head is also streamlined and the bone of the skull narrows into a long jaw needed for seizing and killing prey. Bad rearing, unnatural food, lack of exercise has stunted and thickened many strains of Afghans; Legs have shortened, also necks, heads have thickened and jaws have likewise shortened. I have no use, nor admiration, at all, for the broad head in Afghans and severely avoided the strains in England into whichj the broad head had entered. Unfortunately my Turkmans (Juliettes spelling) in some cases have got into the hands who bred them with hounds of the thick-headed strains. That is in England. In U.S.A Mrs Shay and Madigan keep my Turkmans very pure, and the out-cross blood was all of desirable type. Therefore I am very pleased that through Branwen imports into England, Turkuman blood is returning, from where there has been no crossing with the thick-headed types - Broad skulls do not mean intelligence! The cleverest Afghans and Salukis that I've known have had fine head. Here is one story of a clever Afghan (too clever!) - it is of Turkuman Bamboo, founder of the Turkumans, and a posessor of a very fine head. When living in East wittering, Sussex (England), he used to unfasten the doors of the puppy kennels, and lead the puppies -his children- then around 10 months, to the wire netting fencing of a neighbours poultry place. He would dig as deep as possible under the netting, the ground too hard for depth to allow himself to break through, but the smaller puppies could get beneath. They caught poultry and brought them back for their father to eat! He was the eater! for he would pick up beaks and claws which defied digestion. Therefore I knew who was the culprit, and Bamboo had to be most carefully watched to prevent over frequent repetition of that costly adventure. The best-headed hound that I ever remember was Khalidi Khan of Kuranda, bred by Barbara Fielding. Dr. Betsy Porter owned a litter brother. I'm not sure of exact spelling of name nor of exact breeding, but Dr Porter would know, I expect. There was Khulli Khan (of Kuranda) in the breeding and Westmill. These two brother hounds were fawns with very black masks. Very tall hounds and posessing the longest, and yet the strongest, jaws that I ever saw, either here or in America. I took much trouble to get some of their breeding into my Turkumans, through Nancy Hollis's Ganputti Afghans, which posessed this same breeding. Best wishes for the success of your Afghan Review , which you have made into a very interesting and admirable publication Yours sincerely  Then there are some HANDWRITTEN notes at the end of the typed up letter - "Forgive countless typing errors. This is my over 100th letter since yesterday. I try only to write each person once per year to avoid all the letter writing. My friends know this". Related content Switzerland - Turkuman Tribute Pages Daruma Afghan Hounds/Ghazni US information UK - Brantwood Kennels Turkuman Nissim's Laurel Stenara Afghan Hounds Brazil Sumava Afghan Hounds, Spain Sunny Shay handling Afghans in England Branwen AKC registrations and pedigrees Links to video "Juliette Of The Herbs" Juliette of the Herbs Clip1 Juliette of the Herbs Clip2 Juliette of the Herbs Clip3 Juliette of the Herbs Clip4 Juliette of the Herbs Clip5 Juliette of the Herbs Clip6 Previous Turkuman Page |
