It is believed that the Italian Greyhound originated about 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Greece and Turkey. Italian Greyhound-like dogs have been found as mummified remains in Egypt and depicted in paintings from Pompeii. While these miniature Greyhounds were popular across Europe for centuries, it was in Renaissance Italy where the breed was solidified, as owning miniature versions of dog breeds was seen as a status symbol.