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.
There were two breeds of hound recognised in very early English manuscripts, the Talbot which was white, and the Dunne which as its name suggests was tan. In the Ardennes in France, now Belgium, a breed of hounds was developed in the monastery and hunted stag for St. Hubert. They were largely black in colour and much prized for their scenting capabilities. Several couple of hounds were presented yearly to the King of France, and some were brought here by William the Conqueror. These were bred to the indigenous Talbots and Dunnes, the resulting mixture being the ancestors of the present day Bloodhound.
These three breeds have become extinct but the Talbot is still seen on many inn signs. A litter of pure white puppies was whelped in the 19th century by a reputable breeder of Bloodhounds who was so horrified he put them all down. What a pity as they were almost certainly a throwback to their Talbot ancestors and the last trace of that breed. The St Hubert hound became extinct world-wide and although very similar in appearance to the Bloodhound, there were distinct differences in type. In FCI countries Bloodhounds are exhibited as St Hubert (Bloodhounds). This is of course incorrect, all European and indeed world-wide Bloodhounds being directly descended from British exports. I don't know what happened to the Dunne hound although its colour is clearly the forerunner of the present day ‘red’ hound.
Many present day dogs have bloodhound in their ancestry, all the gundogs, scent hounds and many others, and this can be seen in their drooping ears and deep lips.
The Bloodhound's name refers to its superior breeding (as in Bloodhorse*) 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 times the Bloodhound and its ancestors were used to hunt a variety of quarry, deer, boar, wolves, etc. The early hound was also found useful for tracking sheep rustlers, border raiders and the like as its sense of smell was only equalled by its tenacity of purpose. It would hunt a scent far colder and for longer than any other breed. Instances have been recorded of Bloodhounds tracking scents nearly two weeks cold, others of tracks 100 miles long. There have been many superb stories of amazing exploits of Bloodhounds and the word is common in literature to describe their relentless tenacity.
During the 19th century there were several packs of Bloodhounds, some hunting stag, others hunting ‘the clean boot’ - a colourful description for tracking man without an artificial drag. One pack had its own pet stag, which went to the meet with the hounds where it was sent off with the pack in full cry behind it. When it thought the hunt had gone on for long enough, it would either head for home or stand at bay, then trot docilely back with its kennel-mates.
The ferocious reputation of the early American Bloodhound, used to guard the chain gangs and recapture escaped prisoners is unfair to our breed, as few if any of these hounds were pure bred or indeed had much Bloodhound blood in their veins - the Bloodhound was far too valuable to be risked for this purpose!
Edwin Brough was asked to bring two bloodhounds to London when Jack the Ripper was at the height of his activities and this caused great interest in the capital, the hounds being tested in Hyde Park. Unfortunately my late husband's father, a young secretary at Scotland Yard at the time, pointed out to the authorities the expenses that Brough was charging to keep these hounds in the City and they were returned. Be that as it may, the Ripper suspended his activities for the whole time that the hounds were on standby - such was their reputation!
With the advent of dog shows, emphasis moved to the Bloodhound's looks rather than its use. During 50 years over the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries, Brough was the great expert and champion of the breed and it was he who wrote the original Bloodhound breed standard, which has remained, except for small modifications, virtually unchanged to the present day. There have been many criticisms of this standard, but I think it should be remembered that it was a description of the breed as compared with any other breed. It was not necessary to describe in great detail such anatomical features as the shoulder, pelvis, bend of stifle, hock, etc., for everyone in those days would know what makes a good horse a comfortable effortless ride, and a hound should clearly be built like a good hunter. Nowadays riders are in a minority which may account for judges and breeders not realising the need for an essentially sound working hound. But for those who read the standard carefully, there is much information concealed in colourful language, such as "the Bloodhound stands over more ground than other breeds", telling us of the long back that many judges miss.
At that time there was less insistence upon breeds being: ‘pure’, indeed most breeders maintained that the Bloodhound was genetically weak in health and rather delicate in constitution and needed an outcross every seven or so generations to maintain its hybrid vigour. As a result a number of experimental outcrosses were made to a variety of breeds of dog, hounds and otherwise (perhaps the thick wavy coat of some of them today points to their St Bernard ancestors?) This apparently improved their health whilst the Bloodhound features remained dominant and they retained their breed characteristics to a remarkable degree. I myself have seen half-bred Bloodhound / Foxhounds and Bloodhound / Otterhounds, virtually indistinguishable fiom pure-bred Bloodhounds. Health was a major problem then, and still is. Before vaccination was introduced a Bloodhound who had survived distemper could command a very high price.
Two breed societies, the Association of Bloodhound Breeders and the Bloodhound Hunt Club, formed in the late 1890s, still flourish, the BHC being dormant during World War II and reformed as the Bloodhound Club. These societies initiated the early working trials which sound great fun. All competitors and spectators were brought in great secrecy by special trains to the venue. Early photographs show masses of spectators, which can't have made the hounds' work easy, although the tracks themselves seem to have been fairly straightforward, all the competitors being started off at the same time from different places and tracking to a central point
Bloodhounds were used as Ambulance dogs by the army in World War II and for tracking the IRA in Ireland in recent years with notable success. Whilst they have been used by the police in America and other countries, until recently the police have been far too insular to use them in this country, preferring their own general purpose dogs to using privately owned and trained dogs. With the advent of other specialist police dogs, I am glad to say that at least two county police forces now own and train bloodhounds and find them infinitely preferable forjobs that require tracking ability.
During World War I, a young officer in the trenches, Buchanan-Jardine, planned the breeding of his perfect pack of hounds, and realised those dreams on his return after the war. These were half-Bloodhound, half Gascoigne Bleu / Foxhound cross and are still in existence today as the Dumfriesshire Foxhounds, large black hounds with wonderful conformation, bones and feet, long leathers and straight skulls. After World War II the Bloodhound was almost non-existent in this country, and clearly something had to be done to increase the breeding stock. Breeders were split in their opinions. One group used a Bloodhound / Dumfriesshire cross bitch, the other a Canadian dog import. This caused much discussion and dissension and some breeders still avoid the outcross bloodlines, forgetting that it is now many generations behind us, and anyway the pre-war Bloodhound carried outcross blood. This is a pity as there have been outstanding examples of the breed in both camps, and with a breed as small as ours, it is foolish to restrict the genetic pool still further.
Numbers slowly built up and its popuiaritv was highest in the 1960s
and 70s when 'Henry' (a series of bitches owned by mvselt) was seen
on TV screens. Registrations were then in excess of 350 but have
dwindled to less than 100 now. Possibly the breed is in decline, its
registrations low, with a restricted gene pool and its health
threatened by bloat and epilepsy. Whilst no-one seems to have
pinpointed the cause of bloat (although there are many theories),
epilepsy is clearly of genetic origin, and I suspect has been under
cover for a long time. But there is hope for the breed.
Epilepsy is now discussed openly, it has been researched by the
Bloodhound Club in recent years and hopefully is being conquered
by careful breeding. The lifting of import restrictions should mean
we can increase our genetic pool by using hounds from the
Continent. The two breed societies are working on research programmes
and are in agreement in trying to curb any tendency towards much
exaggeration. - this was seen in the 60s in minor changes to the
standard, eg in changing 'superabundance' in describing the skin to
"abundance" - although their attempts to agree upon a
suitable wording to replace Brough's paragraph regarding the eye
(which perfectly described an eye suffering from both entropion and
ectropion) resulted in stalemate, and the Kennel Club stepped in to
give us a description which, whilst admirable, is both inaccurate
and genetically impossible to implement! But breeders in the last
few decades have been breeding for healthier, cleaner and tighter
eyes and their efforts have paid off, the exaggerated eye being
largely a misfortune of the past.
The keen interest and support that working trials in their present form receive goes towards counteracting any tendency for the breed to be grossly exaggerated which it could be if bred for looks alone, and it is very good for the breed that a large number of hounds are dual purpose, i.e. are seen both in the show ring and at working trials with great success. For forty years there was only one Show Champion / Working Trial Champion since the war, but very recently there have been not only one but two!
Most hounds are now hunted singly. They are difficult to pack up as each member of the pack wants to be sure of the line for himself and so will work individually, but a well matched pack gives good and surprisingly fast sport, a horse having difficulty in keeping with a galloping Bloodhound, and there is less hanging around when they lose the scent temporarily than when foxhounds cast a covert. An owner with two or three hounds can hunt them as a small cry, which is great fun and the competition encourages them to use their voice - a marvellously deep resonant melodious baying, once heard never to be forgotten. There are a few packs in this country and on the Continent, some of which are purebred and hunt the clean boot. Unfortunately several are cross bred, hunt a drag and are being bred for speed rather than endurance. I suspect these have been formed as an alternative should the Anti-Hunting brigade succeed in getting hunting with other breeds of hound banned in this country. These packs are also causing other problems as puppies are being sold to the unsuspecting public as bloodhounds when they are not purebred and so cannot be registered with the Kennel Club and exhibited or entered for trials, and their 'pedigrees' are completely worthless. For this reason prospective puppy buyers are advised to approach one of the two breed societies who would put them in touch with reputable breeders.
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 enquirer is really suitable for this breed which is magnificent in the right hands but disastrous in the wrong.