Who is Benoni?

Benoni is the name of Abel's dog. When Abel died, the dog was given to Cain. Known as Canaan dogs, the line of man's original best friend still exists today.

The Canaan dog began in ancient times as a Pariah dog in Israel. It belongs to one of the most ancient family of dogs, and most likely Benoni's breed, the Spitz.

The Canaan Dog, also known as Kelev K'naani, is a recent breed out of ancient Pariah dog stock similar to Benoni. Dog experts and world authorities on Pariah Dogs, Drs. Rudolph and Rudolphina Menzel, developed the Canaan dog from redomesticated Pariah dog stock captured in the Palestine.

Much like Benoni's owners Cain and Abel, the Israelis have used the Canaan dog for guard duties, as messengers and as helpers.

The Canaan is an intelligent, trainable breed with keen senses of hearing and smell as well as excellent tracking ability. The Canaan dog, such as its earliest ancestor Benoni, is a medium-sized, sturdy, squarely proportioned dog with a bushy tail carried curled over the back when the dog is alert. The head is shaped like a blunt wedge with a shallow, but defined stop. The nose is dark and slightly slanted. The eyes are almond-shaped with dark rims and slant slightly. The pricked ears have a broad base, rounded tip, and are set high.

It is a very hardy breed, well-adapted to the deserts. Drawings of similar looking dogs were found in tombs dated to the 2200 BC and the caves of Einan and Hayonim are the sites in which the oldest remains of dogs have been found, from more than 10,000 years ago. Along with Benoni’s service of Cain and Abel, in the Bible there are a number of references to roaming dogs and dogs in the service of man.