El Hamrah Jacinth - 'Akasha'
20.3. 1996 - 27.12. 1997
Owner Micaela Lehtonen
Breeder Pirjo Grönfors

For years I drew hearts and exclamation marks in the margins of breed books’ Saluki pages, wrote Saluki stories, toyed with kennel names and kept a scrapbook of Saluki pictures cut out of my mom’s dog publications… As I got older I joined the Finnish Saluki Club and travelled to shows to see these ethereal beauties. I began contacting Saluki breeders with countless questions and finally got in touch with kennel El Hamrah through the ever helpful Chrisse Schrey-Grandell.

As a teenager I had admired striking grizzles like Kirman Feriyat and Khayal and El Hamrah Giah and Jaddah, so naturally I booked a grizzle bitch, to possibly begin breeding from eventually. More than a year passed until Chrisse called to say that my puppy had been born. The year was -96 and the puppy was my gorgeous El Hamrah Jacinth (Shamali Diqhan Rashiq x El Hamrah Warda). "Akasha" was a dream come true in many ways and we were inseparable.

We attended a few shows and running practices and joyfully lived Saluki-life until the Christmas of -97. We were visiting Taija Jokela and Akasha's sister Nirppu (El Hamrah Jezebel) in Akasha's birth home. The girls were running in the yard when they suddenly jumped the fence and ran straight into oncoming traffic. Nirppu escaped unharmed but Akasha died instantly.

It was the most devastating experience of my life and for a time I was practically unable to function. My wonderful friends collected money to enable me to buy a new puppy. Their kindness helped me through the depression as I began examining pedigrees in search of my new puppy.

Akasha's memory lives on in my kennel name Qashani (in Finnish "my Qasha").