Which Maltese dog breed's native name, Kelb tal-Fenek, means "rabbit dog"?

Which Maltese dog breed’s native name, Kelb tal-Fenek, means “rabbit dog”? The answer is Pharaoh Hound.

Kelb tal-Fenek is the traditional Maltese name for the Pharaoh Hound, a slender warren hound historically used to hunt rabbits across Malta’s rocky terrain. The name directly reflects that working role: kelb means “dog,” while fenek refers to rabbit.

The breed’s history is more complicated than its English name suggests. Although “Pharaoh Hound” has encouraged claims of descent from ancient Egyptian dogs, modern DNA research indicates that the Maltese breed is a relatively recent development rather than a direct surviving Egyptian line. It became genetically distinct from Sicily’s Cirneco dell’Etna no more than about 200 years ago.

The breed was accepted internationally as the Pharaoh Hound in 1963, after the first litter outside Malta was born in Britain. Hunters valued its speed, scenting ability, and distinctive high-pitched alarm during nighttime rabbit hunts. Its unusual tendency to blush—turning its ears and nose pink when excited—is another memorable trait.