The Peruvian Hairless Dog or Perro Sin Pelo del Perú is a Peruvian breed of hairless dog. It is the only living breed of dog indigenous to Peru.[1]
As in other hairless breeds, coated examples can also occur.[2] In hairless examples the skin may be any one of a wide variety of colors, with or without limited unpigmented areas, usually the legs, tail or chest; any hairs may be of any colour. In coated dogs, the coat may be of any colour but merle.[2]
The dog has been known by many names, among them Allqu (in Inca times), Quechua: Kaclla, Spanish: Perro calato, Perro chino (which may derive from china, 'woman', rather than indicating a Chinese origin[5]), Perro de Sechura, Perro Chimú, Perro orquídea, Viringo[2] and Vitilingo.[1]
The Peruvian Hairless Dog is often perceived to be an Incan dog because it is known to have been kept during the Inca Empire (the Spaniards classified them as one of the six different breeds of dogs in the empire), they were also kept as pets in pre-Inca cultures from the Peruvian northern coastal zone. Ceramic hairless dogs from the Chimú, Moche, and Vicus culture are well known. Depictions of Peruvian hairless dogs appear around A.D. 750 on Moche ceramic vessels and continue in later Andean ceramic traditions.[6][page needed]
Before that time, in the United States, some enthusiasts created another type of Peruvian hairless dog, the Peruvian Inca Orchid. The Peruvian Inca Orchid is recognized by the AKC and all recognized dogs are descendants of 13 dogs brought from Peru in the early 20th century.[citation needed]
In 2018, an analysis of DNA from the entire cell nucleus indicated that dogs entered North America from Siberia 4,500 years after humans did, were isolated for the next 9,000 years, and after contact with Europeans these no longer exist because they were replaced by Eurasian dogs. The pre-contact dogs exhibit a unique genetic signature that is now gone.[8]
Characteristics
A perfect Peruvian Hairless Dog pedigree. Trujillo, Peru.Face of a typical Peruvian Hairless Dog.Female Peruvian Hairless Dog sitting.
According to the FCIbreed standard, the most important aspect of its appearance is its hairlessness. Hairless dogs are often used in research for testing of various conditions such as dermatitis and other immune-related conditions.[9] The dog may have short hair on top of its head, on its feet, and on the tip of its tail. In Peru, breeders tend to prefer completely hairless dogs. The color of skin can be chocolate-brown, elephant-grey, copper, or mottled. They can be totally one color or one color with tongue pink spots. Albinism is not accepted. The eye color is linked to the skin color. It is always brown, but dogs with light colors can have clearer eyes than darker-skinned dogs.[10]
The dogs should be slim and elegant, with the impression of force and harmony, without being coarse.[10] The ears should be candle-flame shaped and erect with the possibility to lay flat.[10] Proportions of height (at withers) to length (withers to base of tail) are 1:1.[10]
Peruvian Hairless Dog, US.
The gene that causes hairlessness also results in the dogs often having fewer teeth than other breeds, mostly lacking molars and premolars.[12]
The hairlessness trait is a dominant double lethal mutation[neologism?], which means that homozygotic hairlessness does not exist. Homozygous embryos, those with two copies of the gene, do not develop in the womb. This results in an average birthrate of 2:1, hairless:coated.[13][verification needed]
^Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York:Thames and Hudson, 1997.
