Breed: Afghan Hound
Date of birth: 30/10/25
Gender: Female
Neck circumference: 28cm
Chest circumference: 46cm
Base of neck to base of tail: 69cm
Height to shoulder: 47cm
Weight: 14.5kg

General Description

Some dogs simply walk into a room. Chione makes an entrance. An Afghan Hound of striking black-and-tan colouring brightened by pale highlights, she sports the flowing silken coat and aristocratic bearing that have made the breed a byword for canine glamour. She wears it with the unhurried poise of a hound who knows full well that the lens favours her.

Standing tall on slender limbs with a lean sighthound silhouette, she moves with a graceful, near weightless gait that lends every frame a sense of unstudied refinement. Beneath the supermodel looks sits a thoroughly loving character. Devoted to people and kind with children, she is entirely at peace when groomed, brushed or styled with a dryer, welcomes strangers with easy affection and takes unfamiliar locations in her stride. A famously quick study, she absorbs a fresh cue within minutes, which keeps shoots ticking along and directors smiling. She thrives in well-managed settings where sudden noises are kept to a minimum and her serene nature can shine.

One of the most ancient breeds alive, the Afghan Hound descends from sighthounds that once coursed hare and gazelle across the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, prized through the centuries for both speed and beauty. Reaching the West in the early twentieth century, it was quickly embraced by artists and aristocrats. Pablo Picasso kept an Afghan Hound named Kabul. The breed’s regal profile has graced couture runways, show rings and advertising ever since, and one of its kind even made history in 2005 as Snuppy, the world’s first cloned dog. With her own following under the handle Theprettyhound, Chione carries that storied heritage lightly.

Chione’s natural elegance opens the door to roles that trade on allure and mystique. Her ethereal, willowy presence makes her a spellbinding addition to fantasy and period productions, fairytales and dream sequences where a hound of dreamlike delicacy is called for. It is a fitting brief, given she shares her name with a nymph of snow from Greek myth.

On cue she dips into a low bow, spins on the spot and rolls over with a theatrical flourish. She will also stretch out flat or lie on her side to hold a tableau while the action unfolds around her. For dramatic beats she barks or lets out a soulful howl on command, signalling alarm or longing exactly where the script demands. Her skill at motion capture and her confidence working from a distance lend her to effects-led and creature features, where a lissome four-legged form can be reimagined into something otherworldly on screen.

Modelling is where Chione already excels, with a portfolio that includes the Icandor clothing label and a campaign shot in Selfridges. Built for the runway, she is glad to wear clothing and accessories, so fashion houses, designer pet-couture brands and editorial stylists gain a model who turns a simple garment into a statement. She drops into a pose on request, can be placed precisely in position and holds a steady, extended stay while lighting and lenses are adjusted, which turns even drawn-out studio sessions into a pleasure rather than a chore. Skilled at product placement and quick to look exactly where she is directed, whether to a point, over a shoulder or up towards the light, she gives art directors crisp, usable frames with admirable economy. Luxury fashion, haircare and grooming labels in particular will find her lustrous, head-turning coat impossible to ignore.