Coonhound
American scenthound bred for treeing raccoons and larger game.
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The American English Coonhound, one of the six breeds, originated in the Southern United States around the 17th-18th century.[1] The Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard, a burial site only for certified coonhounds, was founded in 1937 in Colbert County, Alabama, after Key Underwood buried his legendary coonhound Troop there on Labor Day of that year.[2][3]
Quick Facts
- Type
- Scenthound
- Origin
- United States
- Developed for
- Hunting raccoons and other game
- Number of breeds
- 6
- Notable trait
- Treeing ability
Facts from the source article.
Biology and range
Foxhounds proved inadequate for hunting American tree-climbing prey like raccoons and opossums.[4] Breeders developed treeing hounds by selecting dogs with a keen sense of smell and the ability to track prey on the ground and up trees.[4] The American English Coonhound is a vocal and active breed not suitable for apartment living.[1] As a pack dog, the American English Coonhound generally gets along with other dogs and cats if raised together.[1]
To boost their tracking skills, bloodhounds were incorporated into many coonhound bloodlines.[4] A coonhound may hunt by itself or together with other dogs in a group.[5] Instead of chasing the animal, hunters typically stay put and rely on the hound's unique baying sound to know when the quarry has gone up a tree.[5] Coonhounds are prone to a rare disorder called acute canine idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis, also known as "coonhound paralysis."[6][7]
This illness is often triggered by a raccoon's saliva, but some affected dogs have had no contact with raccoons at all.[6][7]
What the specialist sources record
The Dogsaholic.com account states that American English Coonhounds are famous for their sense of smell, stamina, and persistence.[1] The same source notes that American English Coonhounds were formerly known as Virginia Hounds, English Coonhounds, and Redtick Coonhounds.[1] The Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard website describes the first dog buried there, Troop, as half redbone coonhound and half birdsong.[3] Dr. Matthew Wallig, a professor at the University of Illinois, explains that the agent of transmission for coonhound paralysis is raccoon saliva.[7]
The late caretaker O'Neal Bolton stated that a dog buried in the cemetery "can't run no deer, possum -- nothing like that."[3] According to an analysis of 90,000 canine medical records, 8.33% of coonhounds suffered from atopy/allergic dermatitis, whereas only 1.08% of mixed-breed dogs did.[8]
References
- "American English Coonhound Breed Information", Dogsaholic.com. facts only, no text reused. dogsaholic.com
- Wikipedia, "Coonhound" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard - Cemetery", Coondogcemetery.com; Kazek, "Legendary Coon Dog Cemetery to once again host Labor Day celebration with live music, crafts, barbecue", The Huntsville Times, August 19, 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard - Cemetery", Coondogcemetery.com. facts only, no text reused. coondogcemetery.com
- Wikipedia, "Coonhound" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Club, "The New Complete Dog Book: Official Breed Standards and All-New Profiles for 200 Breeds- Now in Full-Color", i5 Publishing, 11 November 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Coonhound" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sutton, "Hunting Arkansas: The Sportsman's Guide to Natural State Game", University of Arkansas Press, 11 December 2017; "American English Coonhound Breed Information", Dogsaholic.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Coonhound" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Engel, "Coonhound Paralysis Fortunately Rare", Veterinary Medicine at Illinois, 19 June 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Engel, "Coonhound Paralysis Fortunately Rare", Veterinary Medicine at Illinois, 19 June 2017. facts only, no text reused. vetmed.illinois.edu
- Wikipedia, "Coonhound" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bellumori, "Prevalence of inherited disorders among mixed-breed and purebred dogs: 27,254 cases (1995–2010)", Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2013-06-01, p. 1549–1555 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Coonhound (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Coonhound (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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