THE COONHOUND TRIBUTE
by CURT WILLIS
I n the late-80s the American Ken- nel Club decided to throw its hat into the ring of competitive Coonhounds. To jumpstart this endeavor they decided to merge with a small Coonhound registry known as the American Coon Hunters Associa- tion known to those in the “know” as the ACHA. While small, the ACHA was and is a well respected organization with a long history dating back to the 1940s. It has some very large hunts in the past and its World Championship title still known as one of the toughest to obtain. The merger was a disappoint- ment to both AKC and ACHA and was soon dissolved. Each would go their separate ways and AKC would have its foundation for the registration of the “other five” Coonhound breeds. Plod- ding along, content to host a few hunts per year the AKC Coonhound program basically treaded water until the mid- 2000s when it was decided to either make the Coonhounds work or stop all together.
In 2004, the American Kennel Club would hire Steve Fielder to head up the Coonhound Department in an effort to revive the program. Well known for many years in the Coonhound world, Mr. Fielder would soon find major spon- sorship for the AKC events and again the program was off and running. Being a registry of dogs, the AKC had hoped to entice the various breeds of Coon- hound to participate in AKC events but most importantly to register their lit- ters. Parent Clubs for the new breeds were soon established and the Coon- hounds were soon headed to the bright lights of the AKC. As the addition of five new breeds to the Hound Group began, a collec- tive sigh could be heard from aspiring Hound judges from across the coun- try. The licensure to judge a group of dogs in AKC is extremely time consum- ing and costly. Many years and many thousands of dollars can and are spent traveling to and from kennel visits, specialties and judging seminars in an
effort to obtain the required amount of experience required by AKC to judge a specific breed. The vast majority of Coonhounds, Coonhound events and Coonhound kennels are geographically located in the Midwest and South. Most of these kennels focus on the events held by UKC, PKC or other perfor- mance based registries. The breeding of Coonhounds is almost exclusively done with the Nite Hunts in mind. This can make the acquisition of mentors for prospective all-breed judges a difficult task at best. In response to a low roar of grum- bling, ShowSight Magazine has stepped up to the plate to provide a special Coonhound Issue filled with an infor- mative section dedicated exclusively to the six Coonhound breeds. Articles on each of the six breeds written by respected breeder, owner, handlers and interest pieces written by folks new to the game of Coonhounds and/or AKC should make this a collectible addition to anyone’s hound library.
“WHILE SMALL, THE ACHA WAS AND IS A WELL
RESPECTED ORGANIZATION WITH A LONG HISTORY DATING BACK TO THE 1940S.”
314 • S how S ight M agazine , S eptember 2017
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