King's White Hound
King's White Hound | |
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domestic dog ) |
The King's White Hound, the Chien Blanc du Roi in French, was a breed of scent hound from France that is now extinct. The breed was said to be the favourite of the French kings from Louis XI to Louis XIV.
History
The King's White Hounds were said to have descended from a pure white
The White Hounds reached the height of their fame during the reign of Louis XIII (1610–1643) when they were renowned throughout Europe for their speed, being able to run a stag down in half an hour and kill four stags in a day's hunting.[3] By this time the breed displayed many sighthound features and hunted as much by sight as by scent.[3] By Louis XIII's death the hunt employed over 90 hunt servants, and under Louis XIV the pack consisted of over 100 hounds and costs continued to rise.[1][2]
Towards the end of Louis XIV's reign (1643–1715) the king was becoming too infirm to follow the fast paced White Hounds on horseback, wishing to follow the hunt from a carriage from 1700 the hounds were crossed with the slower Norman Hounds to slow them down.[1][2][3] At the beginning of his reign (1715–1774), Louis XV wanted to revive the pack, so his son the Count of Toulouse procured English Staghounds which were crossed with the pack.[2][3] In 1725 the pack was dispersed and the king adopted a new pack consisting of English Foxhound crosses.[1][3]
The King's White Hounds are believed to have been foundational in the development of a number of French hound breeds, including the Grand Griffon Vendéen, the Porcelaine and the Billy, the latter is sometimes called the Chien Blanc du Roi.[1][4]
Characteristics
The King's White Hounds were large, powerful hounds, initially they were deep scenting, long eared
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 1-57076-219-8.
- ^ ISBN 1-85310-912-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gilbey, Walter (1913). Hounds in old days. London: Vinton & Co. pp. 121–124.
- ^ Hörter, Rea (September 2018). "Billy: a French hound" (PDF). Canine Chronicle. Ocala, FL: Endeavor Publications. pp. 102–106. Retrieved 7 July 2021.