SpotlightFoxhound

Basics: The English Foxhound is an elegant, clean-cut, athletic hound with a long muzzle and wide skull. Its large eyes have a sweet expression and its ears are flat against its head. The tail is held up. Foxhounds have a short, hard, coat, typically tri-color (black, tan, and white) or bi-color. English Foxhounds are active, bold, and passionate hunters. They are responsive and obedient, but training can take patience since hounds are bred to be independent on the hunt. Foxhounds are friendly with people and excellent with children. They also enjoy the company of other dogs.

While similar to its English cousin, the American Foxhound is lighter and taller, with a keener sense of smell and even faster in the chase. Its front legs are long, as is its head. The ears are broad and hang down framing the face. The eyes are large with a sweet, imploring expression.

Rescue: The majority of foxhounds available for rescue are retired from hunt clubs; some are strays pulled from shelters. Many consider foxhounds to be the "best mannered" of the scenthounds. Distinguishing American foxhounds from Treeing Walker Coonhounds is often difficult. One posting I read indicated that aside from the fact that most coonhounds have larger ears, coonhounds can be described as a "tank on speed," while the analogous foxhound personality is that of a BMW. As the owner of a rescued American Foxhound, as well as a coonhound, I could not agree more. My foxhound, Lexi, is the best snugglehound around, and one of the most sensitive beings (human, canine or otherwise!), I have ever come across. She excels as a therapy dog and is always there to cuddle when I need a hug.

For additional information on foxhound rescue, you may wish to consult Foxhound Rescue and Retirement, http://foxhoundrescue.org/ or peruse postings of the American Foxhound Rescue Yahoo Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AmFoxRescuers. In addition, keep reviewing the Hedgesville Hounds Pet List, www.hedgesvillehounds.com, to see if any are available for adoption there.

Sources: Information for this breed spotlight was distilled from the American Kennel Club and Dog Breed Info Center, www.dogbreedinfo.com. The pictures of the American Foxhound are my 2.5 year old Hedgesville Hound rescue, Lexi, and the English Foxhound picture is a publicly available image download obtained through a Google search.

Background: Two distinct breeds of foxhound are recognized by the American Kennel Club: the English Foxhound and the American Foxhound. As its name implies the origin of the English foxhound was in Great Britain. Records published by the Master of Foxhounds Association, the keeper of the English Foxhound Stud Book, indicate their existence prior to 1800. English Foxhounds have always been used for foxhunting, a popular sport in England until being banned by Parliament in early 2005. With good stamina and a good nose, they have also been trained to hunt almost any ground game. There are over 250 packs of hounds in Great Britain and approximately 100 packs in America, with fewer then 10 percent eligible for inclusion in the English Foxhound Stud Book. English Foxhounds in America date back to 1890, but some records indicate that there may have been earlier importations.

The American Foxhound is slimmer than its English counterpart, with origins dating back to the early 1700's in Virginia and Maryland. Interestingly, George Washington imported hounds from England to America in 1770, and in 1785, he received a number of French foxhounds from the Marquis de Lafayette. Washington carefully bred these hounds, known today as the founders of the American Foxhound. Washington and others responsible for the development of the American foxhound bred them for four primary uses: 1) field trial hounds, where speed and a competitive nature were important; 2) fox hunting hounds, who needed to work slowly with a hunter and have a good voice; 3) "trail" hounds, bred for speed; and 4) pack hounds, used by hunt clubs and farmers.