Bloodhound
History
The Bloodhound is one of the oldest breeds of dogs in
history, so old in fact that no one really knows its origin.
It is probable that it originated from the Mastiff type
hound in Mesopotamia, which was the earliest war dog. The
breed evolved gradually and there are examples in very
early paintings and sculptures that are clearly of a Bloodhound
type very similar to the present day hound
Dating back as far as 727Ad., the Bloodhound is known
as the father of all scent and hunting hounds. They were
bred
to to track game for hunting. They were kept by monks and
bishops and was a big part of the monastery. Inbreeding
and crossbreeding to produce the best scent hounds gave
them the name blooded hound, meaning of pure blood. Later
called bloodhound.
The Bloodhound's name refers to its superior breeding
and it was only allowed to be owned
by the aristocracy by whom it was much prized. The Bloodhound's
nose is considered to be the best in the world, a million
times more sensitive than Man's. The folds of skin, leathers,
dewlap, etc., which fall around its nostrils when on a
cold trail help to trap and warm the scent in the same
way as hands cupped around a glass of brandy helps to bring
out the flavour.
In the early 1800's the first kennell club was formed
in England. A bloodhound named Abeille was the very
first
dog to be registered. The first champion bloodhound was
Druid owned by Mr. T. A. Jennings. He was later sold
to Prince Napoleon III. Druid was born in 1857 and
was number
17 in the first dog book of studs.
Bloodhounds have been used for tracking wounded game,
missing people, criminals, and for drug searches. It
has been said
that their sence of smell is three million times better
than man's sence of smell. They have been credited
for saving many lives and their ability to trail is
so accurate
that it will hold up in a court of law.
Bloodhounds love to track and it is a sport to them.
They do it for the fun of it. Not to cause any harm
to however
is at the end of the trail. They never attack their
quarry.
The Bloodhound's temperament should be gentlemanly and
long suffering with children and other animals and this
is usually the case, although like elephants, their memories
are long and bad handling in their youth can lead to behavioural
problems in later life. They need to be handled firmly
but sympatheticaliy, and are not by any means suited to
everyone. Luckily most breeders take their responsibilities
very seriously and make sure that the potential owner is
really suitable for this breed which is magnificent in
the right
hands but disastrous in the wrong.
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