Sporting Dogs

The Bloodhound. The Bloodhound is the oldest breed of sporting dogs that hunt by scent, being the descendant of the black St. Huberts, which were kept at the Monastery in the Ardennes before the Norman invasion. The breed was used by Saxon kings and nobles, and got its name for its skill in following the blood scent of wounded game. It was also used for tracking criminals, later for tracking boarder raiders and those who poached game or stole sheep. The breed got its undeserved ill repute in the United States for catching runaway slaves. Actually, the Bloodhound is the gentlest: of dogs and cannot be persuaded to attack a man or animal. The friendly hound has tracked down fugitives from a mink farm and sniffed out gas leaks in underground pipelines. But his main job still is to follow human scent to find the lost and the fleeing. No breed excels the trained Bloodhound on a "cold" trail. A famous Bloodhound whose nose led to more than 600 arrests, once successfully tracked an arsonist who had fled 105 hours earlier.

His great head often measures more than 24 inches from nose to occiput; blanketlike ears sometimes span 30 inches and are set low. The head should be covered with a mass of loose skin falling in wrinkles. Legs straight, with heavy bone. The usual colour is black-and-tan, but there are also reds. The hound should be well up on its feet, should move freely, and should have a general appearance of great nobility and dignity. Shoulder height about 25 inches.

The Basset Hound. Bred centuries ago in France for the hunt, the Basset makes up in tenacity, courage, and keenness of scent what it lacks in speed. They have the finest noses and the most melodious voices. More and more Bassets are being converted into house pets these days. This handsome little hound has a quality and style. His hound markings, either black-tan-and-white, lemon-and-white are very pleasing, and his fine coat has a beautiful polish. The body is long and powerful in proportion to the height. Chest is deep. The neck is thick and strong with considerable dewlap. The head and velvety ears have a resemblance to those of the Bloodhound. It has a pronounced occiput. The heavy flews meet squarely at the nose, and the brow and sides of the cheeks are profusely wrinkled. The long ears are set low, and hang in graceful folds. The deep-set eyes show the haw. The forelegs, which are about 4 inches long, should fit closely to the chest; from elbow to knee they incline inward, and then outwards to the large feet. They should be heavily boned. The thighs are muscular. The stern, coarse underneath, is carried hound fashion and is sickle-shaped. Shoulder height 13-15 inches. The breed is highly amiable.