Dylan+G.

Introduction
Everyone more than likely knows at least a little bit about the dog named the "Bloodhound" but what most people wouldn't know is where it originates from, it's purpose for breeding, as well as that this specific breed has been on the fringe of extinction several times.

Origins
The Bloodhounds appeared in Europe long before the Crusades, it's said that maybe even as early as 1000 AD by monks at the Saint- Hubert Monastery in Belgium. The dogs were separated into two categories really; the black ones being the ever famous " St.Hubert's Hounds", while the white ones were known as the "Southern Hounds". The St.Hubert Hounds were originally bred as gifts annually to the French King from the monks of the Abbey of St.Hubert. The line of St.Hubert's where exported to Great Britain by the 11th century and by the 12th century church dignitaries and royalty took care of the breeding of these hounds. By this time a pack of Bloodhounds were an essential part in almost every English monastery.

Purpose Of Breeding
Bloodhounds originally had the purpose to help with hunting by tracking the scent of wounded, wolves, deer and other large game. But as the deer population in Britain diminished, English sportsmen were more interested in hunting fox which required a much faster scent-tracking hound.

Later on Bloodhounds were used specifically to track humans. At the time, it would have particularly been Native Americans, runaway slaves, and escaped criminals. In fact, a pack of bloodhounds were the dogs responsible for tracking down James Earl Ray, the man who murdered Martin Luther King, Jr after he escaped from prison and fled to the Tennessee Hills. Nowadays, bloodhounds are still in use when finding missing people and are still vastly used as police dogs in search-and-rescue efforts. Their tracking skills are unmatched to any other animal which makes them such a good tracking hound.