Mission Statement

The Sloughi Fanciers Association of America (SFAA) is an international conservation alliance of breeders, owners and enthusiasts dedicated to the preservation and welfare of the North-African Sighthound, Sloughi.  Established in 1988, SFAA is the premiere breed club for the Sloughi in the Americas; its members and their dogs having paved the way for the breed in gaining recognition in American field and conformation venues and establishing nearly all significant milestones for the breed in the U.S., as an adjunct to ongoing preservation efforts worldwide.  SFAA members continue to focus on "the total Sloughi" as it has been handed down to us through centuries of cultivation in its lands of origin, being a hound of exceptional instinct, intelligence, athleticism, beauty,  vigor, reservedness and devotion to its master.  In promoting the preservation of these inherent qualities, SFAA members continue to focus their efforts in a variety of areas:

*Providing an authoritative, accurate, and comprehensive resource for breed information:   SFAA members include pioneers in the breed who have brought the first known Sloughi to the Western Hemisphere (from Libya;1973), have introduced the breed to the American dog fancy in performance and conformation arenas, as well as having published the only breed-specific books on the Sloughi.  Members continue to publish and provide the international community with a wide range of information in a variety of international forums available to the public.  SFAA's international membership and alliances include noted breeders and enthusiasts in the U.S., Europe and N. Africa.

*Dedication to the 'functional' Sloughi:  Having introduced and gained recognition for the Sloughi in American field venues, SFAA members and their dogs continue to set the standards of excellence for the breed in lure coursing, sprint racing and non-commercial oval track racing.  In cooperation with Mr. Jack Lewis, founder of LGRA, the Sloughi was the first breed to participate in those venues which are now the fastest-growing performance events for sighthounds in the U.S.  SFAA-member hounds continue to excel and garner top rankings (breed and all-breed) in such venues.  SFAA's philosophy is that such participation, within the context of our modern culture, promotes the maintenance of the Sloughi's essential nature as a sound, athletic hound of exemplary instinct, drive and balanced temperament.  Each year, SFAA awards the perpetual Nubia Memorial Cup to the Sloughi achieving the top ranking(s) in any combination of recognized field events.  Some members also explore other performance-based arenas with their Sloughis, including Tracking and Herding.  Many SFAA-member-owned Sloughis are multi-titled in both conformation and field.

*Promotion of a sound, diversified genetic pool:   During its long history, the Sloughi has experienced periods of great hardship leading toward extinction.  The ongoing re-establishment of a sound and sustainable worldwide population for the breed demands that breeders and others focus on the inclusion of genetically diverse specimens from both indigenous and Western-bred sources, in an attempt to further enhance the international foundations of the breed.  It is the philosophy of SFAA that breeding schemes which focus primarily on 'fixing a type' through repetitious inbreeding and/or close linebreeding are ultimately antithetical to such long-term viability.   Similarly, programs and affiliations which promote a 'closed pool' and/or severely limit access to such continuing diversity or encourage the over-utilization of any individual specimen or line are of dubious long-term value.  Where the Sloughi is concerned, it is also of importance to recognize the possible negative cumulative effects of breeding programs which continue to build on and intensify non-Sloughi influences which have been incorporated into the pool in the past.  Therewith, SFAA members advocate alliances and programs which promote the utilization of genetically and phenotypically sound, diverse, pure-bred specimens reflecting the breed's full array of historic type and function.