Bloodhounds originated in Belgium and were develped by the monks of St. Hubert to have superior scenting abilities.
Their long ears prevent the wind from blowing scent cells away from their nose.
The Bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in American courts.
The breed is not only stubborn but an independent thinker. Traits specifically bred into the dog that make it a superb trailing dog, but quite challenging as a household pet.
Bloodhounds are sensitive dogs, and their feelings can easily be hurt, so a gentle but firm hand is required.
These dogs have a VERY strong hound odor to them. Not to mention the drool, or what we affectionately refer to as "gak".
I was at the
Bloomsburg Fair,
September 2001 and decided to walk through the dog show building. In here is where dog
breeders from around the
area setup stands and have their dogs on hand for your inspection. My cousin whom I
hadn’t seen in 20 years was
there with a couple of his bloodhounds and some pups.
After
some catching up, I told him I was in the market for another dog and to
let me
know when he would be breeding again.
In the spring of 2002
I got a call from my cousin to let me know that
he had a litter of pups and I shuuld come out for a visit and
pick out one of the pups.
They were
about 6 weeks old and they
were adorable! I’ve
seen cute puppies
before but never as cute as these puppies.
I wanted a female and of the two available Sophie was the
one that came right
up to me. I
picked her up about 5 weeks
later, she was about 11 weeks old, all ears and feet.
At
this point I had no thoughts of working her
and thought it would just be neat to have a cool hound dog for a
pet...a guy thing my wife would say.
Unfortunately, I
didn’t do my 
homework before
deciding on this breed, I did it after I got Sophie.
They don’t just lie on the porch and sleep
like they do in the movies. Bloodhounds
can never be off lead as they will wander away following their nose
from scent to scent unable to find their way back home. Their
stubbornness makes obedience training nearly impossible. They
just don't care much about what you want them to do especially if it
goes against what they want at the moment.
By
the time
she was 9 months old, it was painfully obvious to me she needed a job. She was getting into
everything and her nose
never stopped. It was as if the only reason she had legs was
to move her nose around!
I contacted a local search and rescue group and they offered me membership. I love being out outdoors so I thought this would be a good fit for me and a good job for her.
We trained every week
for years
and Sophie never missed a find, she loved the game.
We spent a week in Virginia, along with a
hundred other bloodhounds and handlers, training at a seminar
specifically for
bloodhounds. The
trainers put us through
amazing search scenarios. I
was not
aware of what this breed’s nose was capable of; it was a
learning experience I’ll
never forget.
Part of our search and rescue obligations included PR events. Sophie loved these particular events, because she got all the attention she could handle. Her understanding of what to do when a camera is pointed her way is just as amazing as her nose. During a parade she saw a woman with a camera and actually stopped, sat down and struck a pose for her. The crowd around her was as dumbstruck as I was at this behavior.
In 2006 we got out of the SAR business to concentrate on other activities. Now she enjoys a life of leisure and regular activities of hiking, backpacking (she even has her own backpack) and just hanging on the porch with her best bud Cooper.
Getting ready to Trail
VA SAREX
Training - Highline
Putting Life vest on for water search training