The bloodhound is a dog of only medium size and, in spite of his name and reputation, is gentle and affectionate. According to some authorities, these dogs were brought to England by William the Conqueror; according to others, they were brought by pilgrims from the Holy Land.
They are often spoken of as "black St. Huberts," but there were white ones and red ones also, and it is quite possible that our modern bloodhounds are a blend of the three. They probably derive their name from the fact that originally they were used to track animals which were wounded and bleeding, though they have long been associated chiefly with the tracking of men, and for the last hundred years or more, particularly with the trailing of criminals.
The English bloodhound is simply the extreme development of those characteristics which typify the hound : long, low-hung ears, loose skin, long muzzle, and somber expression find in him their greatest degree of perfection. In fact, the skin of the head and face is so loose and ample that it falls into deep folds and wrinkles; the weight of the ears pulls it into furrows, and the lower eyelid falls away from the eye, disclosing a deep haw. The ears, of thin, fine leather, are so long as to trail when the nose is down.
The head is well domed, the occipital point is very prominent, the flews and dewlap reach excessive development, only equaled in the St. Bernard.
The bloodhound should stand 23 to 27 inches and weigh from 80 to 95 or 100 pounds. He should be black and tan, in strict conformity with the standard as shown in the picture, or all deep tan. The more primitive coloring, the black and tan, is generally preferred. The tail is not carried quite so gaily as in the case of foxhounds and beagles. Any appreciable amount of white betrays impurity of strain. In disposition he is the gentlest of gentle hounds, though his rather fearsome name has earned him an unjust notoriety with those who do not know much about dogs.
Only a few kennels breed bloodhounds now. They are used by police departments, both in this country and in Europe, and if brought to the scene of a crime within a few hours after it has been committed, and if the criminal fled across ground not too much trampled over by other people, they can render valuable assistance by leading the police directly to the man they are seeking. There have been bloodhounds credited with following a trail thirty hours after it was made, but such performances must be made under ideal conditions and are very rare, to say the least.
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This image is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris in thi case Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927) and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.
This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1902, are now in the public domain In the United States,
Title: The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Volume 64. Publisher: Century Company, 1902. Original from: Indiana University. Digitized: Jan 21, 2009
Tags: Public Domain Clip Art and clip art or public domain and The Bloodhound or dogs.
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