Omaha daily bee., 1906-03-04

"A NOTWITHSTANDING that the
N English bloodhound has family
IN tree of such antiquity that its an
e.tDn I, beginnings are lost St n the the
least understood dog of to-day in
both this country and abroad.
Only those who know him we'll appreciate
him as a stanch friend and household COM
pinion, especially where there are chill
hren, for to the great majority the mere
mention of his name suggests slave hunt
ing days Of the South and big, ferocicus
brute with an Unsuitable thirst for blood"
As matter of fact even the name
bloodhound" is misleading. 1t is recorded
by seventeenth century authority that
this particular breed of dog was known In
that period a. the "sleuthhound." mean
ing scent, or Slough" or SLOW" presum-
ably because he hunted his quarry over
sloughs or boys, the SLOW" being appli-
cable because the bloodhound was original
ly so slow that ''n border warfare he was
often taken up on horseback for time
when the pursuers came TO soft ground
where the trail was visible. II the horse OF
that period was faster than the hound the
latter must have indeed been SLOW"
This bit of history serves as an excellent
Illustration OF what careful breeding has
done toward increasing the speed of the
sleuthhound OF old to the two minute trot-
ters OF to-day. Until 1855 when Mr.. Ed win
BfOukn. one OF the Oldest ana BEST known
breeders of bloodhounds in England, ex-
hibited a kennel OF his hounds at Madison
Square Garden, the majority of American
dog lovers were obliged to admit compare
tive ignorance Of the pure bloodhound
While there were a few good animals in
this country in earlier days, they became
entirely extinct during the rebellion and
the only representation Of the breed was in
the mongrel or "nigger hound of the
South. big, vicious brute, a cross be-
tween the bloodhound and Great Dane OF
some equally powerful animal.
NeU Dog in America
1t is easier to impose on the public with
a bloodhound than with any other dog
He Is new dog in America and is seldom
seen. SO strong Is his blood that the type
of the bloodhound will predominant in ali
out crosses. | have known where he was
bred with a greyhound, and the pups were
given long haired pedigree and sold as
pure bred English bloodhounds. The most
common cross has been with black and
tan foxhouDd. Without doubt there are
many more Of this type Of English blood.
hound sold ia America than OF the real
dog The breeders Of this class OF anlrnal
keep away from bench shows because sueh
dogs are Immediately tagged as mongrels
by he iudseT
Road theatrical troupes playing .'IyncIs
Toms CABIN invariably carry several n,
this species of bloodhound their brutist
looks and instincts, together with the voic.
ana some of the trailing qualities OF tbs
pure blood, serving very well as accessorie,
10 the drama, but these actor monRrels
wholly lacking in the gentlemanly Instinct,
OF the genuine bloodhound, have don,
much toward forming American opinion
and the consequent lack OF apprecta
ton OF that most noble OF all CANNES. tn,
English bloodhound OF pure blood
As a family dog the English bloodhoun.
ranks among the best and to the mind
OF many he is superior TO all, especially a.
companion. For his trailing qualities
which no other dog n0ssesses-any dog wil
find his master, but no other than III,