Bloodhound

“ Talking of poaching, I am led to observe that one well-trained bloodhound would be more useful in suppressing poaching than half-a-dozen under-keepers; for the fear poachers naturally entertain of being tracked to their homes at dawn of day, would more deter them from entering a cover, than any dread of being assailed at night by the boldest armed party. Even as compared with other dogs, the sensitiveness of the olfactory nerves of the bloodhound appears marvellous. Let one of pure breed but once take up the scent of a man, and he will hold it under the most adverse circumstances. ”

“ Bloodhounds, or, as they are sometimes termed, sleuthhounds, have been employed since the time of the Romans in pursuing and hunting down human beings, and a small variety, known as the Cuban bloodhound, probably of Spanish origin, was used to track fugitive negroes in slaveholding times. Bloodhounds quest slowly and carefully, and when they lose the scent cast backwards until they recover the original trail and make a fresh attempt to follow it. ”

“ He would look up in my face as much as to say: 'There's nobody in this wicked world worth a thought except you and me, master, and you don't count as far as defense goes; if you please, I'll do the watching for both.' As a rule, the bloodhound is most docile and willingly affectionate. He can be trusted with children; so much so, that a boy may safely do duty as the 'hunted man' when the hound is being trained in hill or forest. ”

“ In modern times the uses of the bloodhound, when properly applied, are wholly beneficent. Those marvellous scenting faculties of his, which astonish all who see them at their fullest development, may aid in bringing a criminal to justice or in discovering the whereabouts of a wanderer lost in the wilds. The hound little recks of the task to which he is being put. ”

“ The Bloodhound has very acute scent and has long been known as a hunter of men. In the past it was used to hunt fugitives from justice and in our times has been often put on the track of runaway slaves. ”

“ I had a mortal dread of this savage-looking animal, for I felt instinctively that if ever by good-fortune we should be enabled to make our escape from our present captors, the bloodhound would be put upon our trail to hunt us down. The reflection was a very disturbing one, and I strove to banish it, but in vain. Certainly no plan of escape seemed feasible, but a British midshipman is sanguine even when things look irretrievably dark, and, like the immortal Mr. Micawber, trusts that eventually something favourable will turn up. ”

“ Violence to the bloodhound seemed futile, and mutilation as bad. If Sunset was destined for an indefinite period to grasp a piece of flesh, it seemed best that it should be alive. The dog, however, would require exercise—an obviously delicate business, since the sleeping princess must accompany it upon its rambles. ”

“ Down, I tell you!—He’s death on niggers, Delgado—death on niggers. You should stand out of the way, you know, when you see him coming. Of course, these dogs never can abide the scent of you black fellows. The bookay d’Afreek always drives a bloodhound frantic.’
The old negro drew himself up haughtily and sternly, and stared back in the insolent face of the slouching young white man with a proud air of native dignity. ‘Buckra gentleman hab no right, den, to go about wid dem dog,’ he answered angrily, fixing his piercing fiery eye on the bloodhound’s face. ”

“ Weight: 90 lbs.
The Bloodhound possesses in remarkable degree every point and characteristic of those dogs which hunt together by scent. He is very powerful and stands over more ground than is usual with hounds of other breeds. The skin is thin to the touch, and extremely loose, this being more especially noticeable about the head and neck, where it hangs in deep folds. His temperament is extremely affectionate, neither quarrelsome with companions nor with other dogs, and he is somewhat shy and sensitive. ”

“ One of the great advantages of keeping a bloodhound is that the delicacies of hound work may be observed without the infliction of cruelty upon another animal, and at a small expense. At the same time one has the pleasure of feeling that in his possession is an agent that may on occasion aid the police in tracing the whereabouts of a criminal, or in restoring a lost child to his home. ”

“ This fat, indolent, elderly man, whose nerves are so finely strung that he starts at chance noises, and winces when he sees a house-spaniel get a whipping, went into the stable-yard on the morning after his arrival, and put his hand on the head of a chained bloodhound—a beast so savage that the very groom who feeds him keeps out of his reach. ”

“ Sagacity of the Blood-hound.—The bloodhound is declared by Dr. Gordon Staples, from his own somewhat wide experience, to be one of the most sagacious of all dogs. His wisdom when quite a puppy is sometimes astonishing. When only six months old, he will often show to his master that he has already come to the conclusion that life is real and earnest, and not meant merely to romp and play in. ”

“ As a matter of fact, the bloodhound never hurts his quarry when found. He is the gentlest and most lovable of hounds, and vice of any description is utterly foreign to his character. If he is required to hold his man at bay it is necessary to specially train him for the purpose.
"Strong scent," said Mr. ”

“ Jar. The softest wax ever sealed bawdy business! Now for old Bloodhound: I'll meet you upon the 'Change, sir, with a blind bargain, and then help your son to a good pennyworth; this night shall be all mirth, a mistress of delight. [Exeunt.
Enter Bloodhound, [76] Sim, and Moll.
Blood. Nay, nay, nay, mark what follows; I must bring her home i' th' dark, turn her up to bed, and here she goes to church. My cloak, sirrah.
Sim. 'Tis a very dark night, sir; you'll not have a cloak for the rain. [77]
Blood. I'm going to steal the widow from I know not how many. ”

“ A young dog that works too fast must be brought to pursue at a pace regulated by your signals (end of iv. of 141) . That completes his education.
At night bloodhounds are generally held with a light cord, which restraint appears to lessen their wish to give tongue. Of course, they are checked if they do, that the poachers may not be warned of the pursuit.
A trained bloodhound will seldom endeavour to carry on the scent he has brought into a road, until he has tried the adjacent gates, gaps, and stiles. ”

“ In breeding hounds some seem to expect great work on any line they wish to see the hound, not stopping to think everything to its kind and everything to be perfect must be true to his nature. The bloodhound is true to his nature with reasonable opportunity. He is a man trailer, a large, strong dog, built for strength and endurance but not for fleetness which all breeders concede the 'coon dog should be built upon. Strong in my opinion with strong jaws, good size and a good muzzle, a good scent with as much speed and determination as you can inject into their blood. ”

“ Having at length committed ourselves to the purchase of the animal, we proceeded to consider such details as breed, sex, and age. My wife vacillated between a bloodhound, because bloodhounds are so aristocratic in appearance, and a Pekinese, because they are dernier cri. (We like to be dernier cri even in Much Moreham.) Her younger sister Eileen, who spends a good deal of time with us, suggested an Old English sheep-dog, explaining that it would be company for my wife when I was away from home. ”

“ A story of a dog friendship as odd as that between Dignity and Impudence is told apropos of this picture in Sarah Tytler's little book, Landseer's Dogs and their Stories.
There is the greatest possible contrast between them, both in character and appearance. The bloodhound is of a ponderous nature which does not act without deliberation. Thoroughly aroused he may become quite terrible, but he is not hasty in his judgments. The terrier is a nervous creature, full of activity. We can see from the tense position of his head in the picture that his whole body is quivering with motion. ”

“ The head is most perfect when it closely resembles that of a bloodhound. It is long and narrow with heavy flues, prominent occiput, and forehead wrinkled to the eyes. The general appearance of the head should indicate high breeding and a reproachful dignity. The eyes show a kind expression and no haw is visible. Ears very long, so long that in hunting they will often actually tread on them, set on low, and hang loose in folds like drapery. Their texture is thin and velvety. Forelegs only about four inches long. Stern is carried hound fashion, coat short, fine, smooth and glossy. ”

“ There is also the Borzoi, whose appearance is a combination of greyhound and setter, a very beautiful but rather stupid animal. Finally, there is the Bloodhound, remarkable for great intelligence, good temper, and fidelity. He is one of the finest of dogs, wise and self-reliant and capable of the truest devotion to his master. He seldom or never fights, but is full of courage in spite of his naturally nervous disposition. ”

“ To the present group has been referred by some naturalists a dog of Spanish descent, termed the Cuban bloodhound. A hundred of these sagacious but savage dogs were sent, in 1795, from the Havanna to Jamaica, to extinguish the Maroon war, which at that time was fiercely raging. They were accompanied by forty Spanish chasseurs, chiefly people of colour, and their appearance and that of the dogs struck terror into the negroes. The dogs, muzzled and led in leashes, rushed ferociously upon every object, dragging along the chasseurs in spite of all their endeavours. ”

“ In the rough-haired breed the coat is long and wavy, but there exists a smooth breed with a nearly smooth coat.
Hounds.—These are large dogs, hunting by smell, with massive structure, large drooping ears, and usually smooth coats, without fringes of hair on the ears, limbs or tail. The bloodhound is probably the stock from which all the English races of hounds have been derived. The chief character is the magnificent head, narrow and dome-like between the huge pendulous ears, and with transverse puckers on the forehead and between the eyes. The prevailing colour is tan with large black spots. ”

“ Wolves are distinguished by huntsmen into young, old, and very old; they are known by the prints of their feet, which are large in proportion to their age; those of the females are longer and more slender. It is necessary to have a good bloodhound to put up the wolf, and when upon the scent every art must be used to encourage him, as all dogs have a natural antipathy to this animal, and are very cold in the pursuit. When the wolf is put up, greyhounds should be let after him in pairs, the first pair almost immediately supported by a man on horseback ”

“ A tall man moved in front holding two dogs on the leash. They came along our trail right down to the railroad. There the dogs stopped and I realized the efficacy of Mooney’s precaution against the bloodhound. When the dogs reached the place where we had turpentined our shoes, they stopped instantly and began to howl.
The man led them about in circles, across the track and beyond it, in every direction, but the dogs would not take up our trail. The turpentine was a complete safeguard against them; they would not follow it. The big man handled the dogs with skill ”

“ Their slave-daughter was permitted to step in and do little chores for them after her day's work was done.
While waiting in this lonely and solitary nook, three large bloodhounds came in sight. I remembered of hearing about their being let loose after sunset, to reconnoiter the premises, and I called to mind what I had heard and read in history, that however ferocious an animal is, a stern and steady gaze in the eye, by a human being, would disarm it of ferocity, and cause it to leave. ”

“ If a bloodhound is brought to the scene of the crime within a reasonable length of time after it has been committed, and the dog has been properly trained, he will unfailingly run down the criminal, provided, of course, that thousands of feet have not tramped over the ground. ”

“ Meanwhile, the good dog lies down on the floor, looking with his big, kind eyes at the wayfarer, and seems to say, "I'm glad I found you and brought you here to my master. Eat and drink, and be comfortable; don't be shy; there's enough here always for a poor traveller."
It is a sad thing to turn from this pleasant picture to the history of the bloodhounds in the West Indies. Who would believe that the good and great Columbus employed bloodhounds to destroy the Indians who made war against the Spaniards? ”

“ The bloodhounds, I understand, are so-called, not because they are especially fierce, in fact they seem to be on the whole a rather gentle sort of dog, as dogs go, but because they are supposed to smell one’s blood, and to be able to follow the smell almost anywhere. I suppose they really do smell the perspiration; but they do it thru the sole of a heavy boot, when one has simply walked along over the ground; and they follow that inconceivably faint odor, hours after, and pick it out from all other smells, even those of other people cutting across the track. ”

“ I say large and fierce, for it is much easier to repel a bloodhound or bear of Finland in this manner than a dunghill cur or a terrier, against which a stick or a stone is a much more certain defence. ”

“ For companionship a bloodhound is more suited to the country than a town. Unless to the manner born, he is not as handy in avoiding traffic as dogs which are in the habit of relying upon their eyes and ears. ”