Tag Archives: hounds

Dog Breeds: Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen

You can tell a lot about a dog from its name — at least this dog. Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen translates from the French thusly: Petit = small, Basset = low to the ground (like a Bassett Hound!), Griffon = rough coated or wire coated, and Vendeen = the region of France that gives us the breed. The breed can be traced back to the sixteenth century, and the larger Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen. Both dogs were developed to hunt by scent over the rough terrain of the western coast of France; the Vendeen region is full of rocks, thorns, … Continue reading →

“What Kind of Dog Is That?”: Why I Love My Pound Hound

The path at Concord Park, Brentwood, TN Looks like Punxsutawney Phil was on the money with his prediction of an early spring. At least for us here in Nashville. Last Saturday, February 17th, we had snow that melted on the streets, froze, and caused black ice catastrophes all over town that night and into the next morning. Before that, temperature highs had hovered in the thirties, thus making taking Murph for longer walks unpleasant. (At least for me. For him, the colder the better. He stalls, both in his stride and withholding on doing his “Doo”ty so he can stay … Continue reading →

Bluetick Coonhound

The Bluetick Coonhound is a newer breed of dog that isn’t even recognized by the American Kennel Club yet. (They have been assigned the Hound Group designation, though, and breeders are in the process of getting recognition for them.) Their faces and ears resound “hound,” and their distinctive spots and flecking often leave people mistaking them for Dalmatians. (They are not descended from the latter, however.) Origins Blueticks originated from English foxhounds, cur dogs, and Bleu Gascogne French hounds, and were originally designated as English Coonhounds. In the 1940s, breeders in the Southern United States, primarily Louisiana, broke away from … Continue reading →