The Alopekis (Greek: Αλωπεκίς) is a small, foxlike dog from Greece with pricked ears, a sickle-shaped tail, and a smooth short coat. The dog is found in the Serres region of Greece and dates before 1922.[unreliable source?] The alopekis is believed to be a landrace that descended from a type of small dog common to the Balkan peninsula, although some claim it descends from eastern pye dogs. Alopekis numbers have declined to the point of near extinction in the last half-century, a situation further exacerbated by the mass sterilisation of dogs in some regions to reduce the number of strays, although it still survives in small populations in Northern Greece. Recent efforts have been made to identify surviving populations and save the type. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)