The Rajapalayam looks like a dog designed by someone who wanted nothing wasted. Milk-white coat, deep chest, tucked waist, and legs built for covering ground fast, this is a sighthound, and every physical feature follows from that one fact. Bred in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu to hunt boar and to guard estates, the breed was historically kept by Nayakar royalty and used in the Carnatic Wars. Today it sits on India's list of native breeds worth preserving, and the Army has used it in border patrol. What it has never been is a casual apartment companion.
