Bloodhounds: More Than A Nose

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It turns out the Bloodhound is now famous for something other than its incredible nose.

A Bloodhound named “Trumpet” was crowned Best-in-Show this week at the 146^th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Tarrytown, NY.

It was the first time a Bloodhound won the overall title.

Trumpet is four years old from Illinois. He advanced to the finals by winning the Hound Group. In the finals, he beat out several other breeds including, a Maltese, French Bulldog, German Shepherd, English Setter, Samoyed and Lakeland Terrier. Nearly 3,500 dogs across more than 200 breeds and varieties competed at the show.

Most of us know Bloodhounds for their tracking ability. The breed’s sense of smell is powerful even for dogs, with nearly 300 million receptors in its olfactory bulb – more than twice as many as some breeds and seven times that of humans.

Because of their impressive sniffers, Bloodhounds have an interesting story. Here are few facts you may not know about Bloodhounds:

Bloodhounds are also known as the St. Hubert Hound because it is believed to have descended from hounds kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert in Belgium.
A Bloodhound’s long ears are believed to brush along the ground and sweep the scent of whatever its tracking into its nose.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the British author and inventor of Sherlock Holmes, modeled his book The Hound of Baskervilles on the Bloodhound.
Bloodhounds are used by police and prison guards around the world. In fact, the National Police Bloodhound Association was founded in 1962 in the Northeastern United States. There are accounts of Bloodhounds successfully tracking trails hours or even days old.
McGruff the Crime Dog, the cartoon dog mascot of the National Crime Prevention Council, is a Bloodhound. He’s been helping “Take a Bite Out of Crime” for more than 40 years.
Because of its deep chest and wide belly, Bloodhounds are susceptible to “bloat,” a condition where stomach gases are produced in dangerous amounts and can be fatal without veterinary care.
Bloodhounds have made regular appearances in television shows, including the Beverly Hillbillies and King of the Hill.
In medieval times, Bloodhounds were often used as “limers” kept on a leash to locate a deer or boar so the pack hounds could then hunt the animal.
During a criminal investigation, evidence found by a trained Bloodhound may be used in a court of law.
Pluto, the pet dog of Mickey Mouse, is officially a mixed-breed dog. But he was designed from a pair of Bloodhounds in the cartoon “Chain Gang” (1930).
William the Conqueror brought six Bloodhounds with him when he invaded England in 1066, and modern Bloodhounds descend from these dogs.
Bloodhounds are big dogs – males can be 25-27 inches at the shoulder and weigh 90 pounds or more. Females are smaller, 23-25 inches and weigh around 80 pounds.