The first two specimens of the breed were brought to Britain in the 1920s, but at that time, no litter was bred. Again, some dogs were imported to the UK in the early 1960s, and the first litter was born in 1963. The breed standard was recognised by the The Kennel Club in 1974. The breed was called the Pharaoh Hound although this name was already used by the FCI as an alternative name for the Ibizan Hound at that time. When the FCI abolished this name in 1977 and decided to call the Ibizan Hound exclusively by its original Spanish name Podenco Ibicenco, the term Pharaoh Hound was transferred to the Kelb tal-Fenek, whose breed standard had been recognised by the FCI at the same time . For many years, the Pharaoh Hound was considered one of the oldest dog breeds, because it is thought by some to resemble paintings of dogs featured on the walls of ancient Egyptian pyramids and tombs. Recent DNA analysis reveals, however, that this breed is actually a more recent construction, developed out of different lines of European hunting dogs . This DNA data now puts to rest the "Egyptian Myth" and proves the breed did not originate from Egypt. It is often called a sighthound, particularly in North America, but also hunts by scent and hearing. A number of other breeds that are similar to the Pharaoh Hound exist in different regions of the Mediterranean. One is the Cirneco dell'Etna from neighbouring Sicily, which is very similar in structure and appearance, but somewhat smaller (43-51cm/17-20in). Other similar breeds include the Ibizan Hound, Podenco Canario, Podengo Português and other local breeds from the Mediterranean. It is not clear whether those breeds have descended from the same anscestral lines, or whether their similarities have developed due to similar environmental conditions.

The Pharaoh Hound is a breed of dog, a hound which has been classed variously as a member of the sighthound and pariah groups. It is the national dog of Malta, where it is called the Kelb tal-Fenek (plural: Klieb tal-Fenek), meaning "rabbit hound". It is rare outside of Malta, and it is number 141 out of 154 breeds by dogs registered in 2005 by the AKC.