St. Hubert Hound

Being sick the past few days, lucky me got to snuggle the love out of our dogs in bed for hours. Jack was just so cute, I had to dedicate this week to him.

There is a thing called "bias" and there is a thing called "fact." Fact: bloodhounds are the most scrumptious canine in the animal kingdom (wink). In a recent study I conducted, I asked myself who the cutest dog I've ever seen was and the results were astonishing. The bloodhound was the overwhelming favorite. It's like God created the goofiest, most adorable, squishy little family pup He could think of, and He did a knockout job. Again, not bias, just relaying the facts.

I made probably the dumbest move you can make as a dog owner and got our bloodhound, Jackson, having done no research. I saw a picture of the four most perfect looking little faces, all scrunched up it was hard to tell what skin belonged to which pup, and we were in the car heading to North, South Carolina. The breeder opened the gate and I chose the first one that ran up to me and let me hold him. Fortunately, bloodhounds do make amazing family pets for their loyalty and "gentle giant" nature. And those bloodhound eyes? My goodness...

At times, I feel like the biggest dog lover this side of the Mississippi. Every now and then, I catch myself getting lost in YouTube videos of bloodhound puppies or singing my dogs a lullaby. Since I've started blogging to channel my aloof creative energy, I thought I would write down a few words about the St. Hubert Hound AKA the bloodhound.

Before I rattle off some interesting facts, here is some basic, background information. The bloodhound traces its ancestry from Belgium/France/England/Scotland and is a large scent hound originally bred for hunting and tracking. The term "blood" has nothing to do with its ability to track blood (although it can), but rather a "hound of pure or noble blood." They snore and slobber and love their humans until their faces start to fall off. Adult males weigh anywhere from 100-120 pounds and adult females 80-100. Jack fluctuates between 101-105, probably because he's missing a little meat on his front, left paw (frown face).

Drum roll please...

I present:

TOP TEN MOST FASCINATING FACTS: BLOODHOUND EDITION!

Bloodhounds are the world's most handsome mammal.

Okay, okay. Scientifically proven facts...

--The bloodhound was the first dog whose sniffing evidence was admissible in a court of law
--A scent dragged a bloodhound 135 miles across the state of Kansas successfully tracking a scent
--Bloodhounds in the lime light: Disney's "Pluto," "Duke" from the Beverly Hillbillies, "Cooper" in The Fox and The Hound, McGruff the Crime Dog, "Hubert" in Best in Show, "Trusty" from Lady and the Tramp
--Bloodhounds can sniff a trail over 300 hours old (12 days)
--Under the best conditions, a bloodhound can detect as few as one or two skin cells
--Bloodhounds do not like to be left alone, would never dream of attacking, and are one of the most patient and kindest dogs in the dog world (I'm not making this up!!)
--If a human's olfactory sensor is the size of a postage stamp, the bloodhound's is the size of a hankerchief
--Their ears act as sweepers and stir up the scent from the ground to help identify smells
--When a bloodhound's nose is to the ground, the skin around the eyes falls forward acting as blinders to keep the dog focused
--The world's longest ears belonged to a bloodhound, about 13 inches

And because a mom needs to brag every once and awhile, here are some of Jack's greatest hits...

The week we got him. Chillin' like a boss with a big, jolly grin.

It took us 4 days to learn that a bloodhound will do anything to follow its nose...

...as in follow a scent out of the window of a moving car.
Lesson learned.

He was the big man on campus in his early days.

More often than not, I had to leave the party and go pick him up and bring him over.

At the time, I could carry him on my hip... the grandest, most manly entrance of course.

Picnik... before instagram was cool.
It took years of wrapping his paw before the wound (caused by his damaged nerves) healed.
Our vet, N-Dubs (the amazing Dr. Nori Warren) said he was a medical mystery
and was shocked we never had to amputate his leg.


With his big brother and best friend, Murphy


Party pooped on his 42nd birthday

I've always said, "I really hope I love my children as much as I love my dogs." If this turns out to be the case, I worry my heart will explode. Figuratively speaking, I guess that's not such a bad thing. And before it seems as if I'm playing favorites, I couldn't write a post about Murphy if I tried. You see, he is a lab mix of half lab, half love. I've never met anyone who claims to have a lab-love mix, so until further notice, he is one of a kind.

[photo source: oodle, Momma WRCIV]