The Phu Quoc Ridgeback (

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

: ''Chó Phú Quốc'') is a rare

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

from the island of

Phú Quốc Phú Quốc () is the largest island in Vietnam. Phú Quốc and nearby islands, along with the distant Thổ Chu Islands, are part of Kiên Giang Province as Phú Quốc City, the island has a total area of and a permanent population of appr ...

in Kiên Giang Province in southern Vietnam. It is one of three ridgeback breeds, the others being the

Rhodesian Ridgeback The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a large dog breed bred in the Southern Africa region. Its forebears can be traced to the semi-domesticated ridged hunting and guardian dogs of the Khoikhoi. These were interbred with European dogs by the early colonist ...

and the

Thai Ridgeback The Thai Ridgeback ( th, ไทยหลังอาน, ) is a dog from Thailand. The Thai Ridgeback is one of only three breeds that has a ridge of hair that runs along its back in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat. The other tw ...

. It is not recognized by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) (English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium. History The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspices ...

or any other major club. The Phu Quoc Ridgeback is one of the four native Vietnamese dog breeds, along with the Bắc Hà dog (Chó Bắc Hà),

Lài dog The dog ( vi, chó Lài or ), is a distinct landrace of dogs native to the northern mountains of Vietnam, but also sometimes used ambiguously to refer to any indigenous landrace of Vietnam including the Indochina dingo. It is considered to be one ...

(chó lài),

Hmong Bobtail Dog The Hmong bobtail dog ( Vietnamese: Chó H'Mông Cộc đuôi), is an ancient medium size spitz dog breed and one of Vietnam's Four Great National Dogs (Vietnamese: tứ đại quốc khuyển). This dog was primarily used a hunter, herder and guar ...

(chó H’Mông).

History

There is considerable debate as to exactly when and how the breed arrived to the island of Phú Quốc. The breed was originally a

landrace A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and pastoralism, and due to isolation ...

developed as a semi-feral companion to hunt for food and guard the homes of native islanders. French colonists recognized the distinct dogs as a unique breed in the 19th century, and two resided at the Jardin d’Acclimitation in Paris. Historically, Phu Quoc Ridgebacks were not purposefully bred, instead relying on random pairings in the relative isolation of island life to continue to maintain their unique population. According to native Phú Quốc islanders, there were originally three sizes of the breed, each uniquely bred to hunt different sizes of game over different terrains. Unfortunately, purebred examples became scarce after the introduction of non-native dogs to the island, with many French writers noting that the breed was near extinction by the turn of the 20th century. Despite the near extinction, genetic studies indicate that the Phu Quoc Ridgeback population is genetically diverse. It was commonly thought that the Phu Quoc Ridgeback derives from the Thai Ridgeback, but recent research suggests otherwise. According to a genetic analysis, the Phu Quoc Ridgeback is most closely related to Korea's

Pungsan dog The Pungsan, Phungsan, Korean Phungsan, or ''Poongsan'' (Chosongul: 풍산개; Hanja: ) is a breed of hunting dog from Korea, named for originating in Kim Hyong Gwon County, formerly Phungsan county. They were bred in the Kaema highlands ...

. The breed population has been resurging as public interest grows. A Phu Quoc Ridgeback won the

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

dog show in 2013. The breed was selected as the mascot for the 2018 annual Nguyen Hue Flower Street in

Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, symbolizing the lunar Year of the Dog as per the Vietnamese zodiac.

Description

Medium sized with a hound shape, but with a larger head and well-developed muscles, the Phu Quoc Ridgeback is genetically and morphologically different from the Thai Ridgeback. All or part of the Phu Quoc's tongue is blue in color and the feet are webbed. Phu Quoc Ridgebacks are prized for their ability to run fast, swim well, and follow either a hot or a cold trail. As hunting dogs, they are known for their versatility, working both individually and in packs to take down a variety of prey including mice, fish, deer, and water buffalo. They also make excellent camp dogs, alerting to intruders.

Dorsal ridge

The dorsal ridge on Phu Quoc Ridgebacks is described by shape, of which there are 5 main shapes: music note, sword, saddle, half-saddle, and arrow-shaped. The ridgeback phenomenon develops when the

neural tube In the developing chordate (including vertebrates), the neural tube is the embryonic precursor to the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord. The neural groove gradually deepens as the neural fold become elevated, a ...

forms in

embryogenesis An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sperm ...

, leading to the characteristic

hair follicle The hair follicle is an organ found in mammalian skin. It resides in the dermal layer of the skin and is made up of 20 different cell types, each with distinct functions. The hair follicle regulates hair growth via a complex interaction between h ...

orientation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phu Quoc Ridgeback Dog Dog breeds originating in Asia Animal breeds originating in Vietnam Ridgeback dogs Hounds