Page 160 - (DK) The Dog Encyclopedia

CATALOG OF BREEDS | SCENT HOUNDS
C A T A L O G O F BR EED S | SC E N T HOU N DS
English Foxhound

HEIGHT WEIGHT LIFE SPAN Variety of colors
23–25in 55–75lb 10–11 years
(58–64cm) (25–34kg) Any recognized hound color.

Good-natured, with a sunny approach to life, this breed
MAN’S BEST FRIEND
needs plenty of activity if it is to adapt to a rural, family life
The idea of the dog as man’s best friend
originated in a court case in Missouri, in 1870.
The ancestry of the English Foxhound is This hound is highly responsive to training
Farmer Leonidas Hornsby shot a foxhound centuries old. The practice of hunting foxes but can also be stubborn and strong-willed,
named Old Drum for apparently worrying his
with packs of hounds arose in the late 17th especially when on the scent. Historically
sheep. The distraught owner, Charles Burden,
sued Hornsby. Burden’s lawyer, George Vest, century as deer hunting declined and the kenneled in packs, the English Foxhound
made a long speech in praise of dogs; as he English landscape changed from forests to retains much of its pack instinct and
said, “The one absolutely unselfish friend that fields. People started to breed foxhounds tendency to bay (howl melodiously).
a man can have in
specifically for the new hunting; the animals When kept as a house dog, the breed is
this selfish world… needed the nose and stamina to follow a very friendly and excellent with children,
is his dog.” The
scent for several hours and had to be fast as long as it has plenty of exercise. It is
listeners were
moved to tears; enough to keep up with the fox. By the not suited to city life. People who enjoy
Hornsby’s 1800s more than 200 packs of foxhounds running and cycling would make good
lawyer noted that existed in England, and the first breeding partners for this dog. These hounds can
“the dog, though
records were being kept. The breed was retain their playfulness, liveliness, and
dead, had won.”
introduced to the US in the 18th century. stamina into old age.

MONUMENT IN
MISSOURI,
ERECTED AS Large eyes with
A TRIBUTE TO friendly expression
OLD DRUM

Black nose

Pendant ears
Broad and level back

High-set tail

Short, dense,
weatherproof coat Tricolor

Very
straight
front legs
Round,
catlike feet

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