Melik Jasiim
Imp. USA
Born 8.2.2009
Bred by -
George & Mary Beth Rogers, Susan Schroeder & Lorraine Trenholm
Owned by - Suvi Nielikäinen & Micaela Lehtonen

Years ago my dear friend Mary Beth Rogers (Melik) showed me the picture of a teeny and stunning bitch, the Iranian import Nazee, who has since done very well at lure-coursing, becoming a Field Champion andf winning the Pyramid Cup twice, among other successes. Nazee was born in Bokan, Irani Kurdistan and imported to Germany by Cyrus Sattarzadeh and then imported to the US by Mary Beth and her friends Susan Schroeder (Ash-Shi'ra) and Lorraine Trenholm (Rataki). The mere sight of Nazee thrilled me and I immediately booked a puppy from a future litter.

About 3 years later Nazee was mated with the handsome Melik I'saar and I could not have been happier with the choice of stud. I'saar is a gorgeous male, many of whose siblings and half siblings have done extremely well in OFC, lure-coursing and free coursing. I'saar's parents are also Iranian imports: his sire Sarban from Sanandaj, Kurdistan and his dam Sheyda - in my opinion one of the most beautiful Salukis of all time, with the sweetest of temperaments - from Bokan.The Melik J-litter combined these three fabulous Salukis of rare Iranian lines in one package. What could have been more perfect!

Nazee had her litter in February 2009 and we chose little Melik Jasiim, a black masked red, quite possibly my favorite color. Since I already had a sizeable pack at home, importing is costly and my wallet boasts mainly holes, I asked my dear friend Suvi Nielikäinen if she would be interested in importing the little tyke with me and giving him a home. To my delight Suvi jumped at the chance. WE spent the next few months drooling over pictures and Suvi gave our boy the pet name Firat.

When Firat was 6 months old Mary Beth brought him to Germany and I fetched him from there. Firat held up well after his long journey and once we got to Finland he serenely followed Suvi to their new home, which they shared with her Whippets. It soon became apparent that Firat is a brainy guy - he tlearned new tricks merely by watching the Whippets perform them and took Suvi the kibble cup from the kitchen when he felt peckish. His favorite toy was a mouse that you wound up by pulling on a string - he enjoyed chasing it and to our amazement soon learned to pull the string himself, setting the mouse in motion on his own!

In the US country of origin imports are not admitted directly to the AKC registry (unless they happen to be 3rd generation registered Salukis from the FCI countries Bahrain and Israel). Instead they have to complete a critiquing process and if they pass they are then registered in the SPDBS (Society For the Perpetuation of the Desert Bred Saluki) registry. Only after they have 3 generations registered will the AKC register COO Salukis.

Since only Firat and his siblings, parents and paternal grandparents were registered in the SPDBS, he was not eligeble for AKC registration. Since the FCI in turn does not recognize the SPDBS registry, Firat had to pass through the Finnish critiquing process as well. It was a long wait, since that process can not be begun until the dog is 15 months old and even then the breed club first had to assign us the critiquing judges, a time and place for the critiquing had to be set, the breed club had to weigh in on the petition for registration and finally we had to wait for the Finnish Kennel Club's breeding council to consider the petition. Finally, to our delight and relief, Firat got his FCI papers.

Firat has been to one or two shows which he didn't enjoy nearly as much as lure training - he would much rather have run and played than stand to attention on lead. He's got his lure-coursing lisence and his racing training was well under way, but an old shoulder injury has bothered him on occasion so instead of chasing the lure he has concentrated on running free in fields and forests. In July 2012 Firat had a cardiac ultrasound done (healthy, a harmless 1/6 murmur) and I fervently hope that he will sire his first litter for us in 2014. The presumptive bride is our Syrian girl Vera, officially Qashani Kasabi al-Badia.

Suvi on Firat:

"Firat is a happy, gentle, sociable, adaptable Saluki with good nerves, a quick learner with good social skills and excellent body language. One could describe him as a Saluki for any place and climate, who calmly travels on public transportation and navigates the city and in the country he runs full tilt, ears flying. Firat's favorite thing (apart from bunnies) are his canine friends. He has strong instincts and endurance, tireless without being restless at home. He greets guests with a wagging tail and a jaunty paw slap. You can't not smile in his company, he always has a glint in his eye. I admire his way of handling various situations.

Firat is a very easy and uncomplicated dog while still being primitive and independent. He has exceeded my expectations in many ways. Mostly people remark on his happy social attitude, his willingness to learn and his adaptability. Sometimes when Firat runs free I stop to watch him race with his ears flying and think, that he is exactly what I dreamt of for nearly 20 years."