BOSTONS, BOYKINS, AND BLUETICKS: LET’S GIVE THANKS FOR THE AMERICAN BREEDS
Of the Coonhound breeds, the Black and Tan was the first to gain AKC recognition.
A Cocker Spaniel is said to have arrived with the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock.
The first Cocker Spaniel is said to have arrived in the New World aboard the Mayflower. True or not, one of the earliest breed clubs in America was formed to promote the Cocker, and AKC recognition was granted in 1878. The breed became so popular in the US that it ultimately took on a make and shape of its own. Beginning in 1946, the breed was divided in two and registrations for English Cocker Spaniels appeared in the AKC Stud Book the following year. Only in the US does the American-type carry the breed’s “original” name. Developed in the Upper Midwest, the American Water Spaniel is the state dog of Wisconsin where it was developed as an all-around hunter that could retrieve from boats. By combin- ing Irish and English Water Spaniels, Curly Coated Retrievers, and various land Spaniels with native dogs, the breed became a versatile hunter and a perennial favorite among local hunt- ers. Known originally as the American Brown, the breed was granted AKC recognition in 1940. Although the Boykin Spaniel shares a somewhat similar his- tory with the Midwest Spaniel, its development took place in the American South. Legend has it that around 1900, a stray Spaniel-type dog was befriended by a banker in Spartanburg, South Carolina, while the man was walking home from church. Mr. Alexander L. White sent “Dumpy” to live with sportsman Lemuel Whitaker Boykin for whom the breed is named. Recog- nized in 2009, today’s Boykin is thought to be the result of com- binations of Springer and Cocker Spaniels with two American breeds, the AWS and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. The history of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever can be traced to two pups rescued from a British ship foundering off the coast of Maryland. Described as Newfoundland dogs—but likely St. John’s Water Dogs—”Sailor” and “Canton” were bred indepen- dently with local Spaniels and Hounds living on both shores of the Bay. Known today for its brown, sedge, or deadgrass coat
DESCENDED LARGELY FROM BROOKE’S BLACK AND TAN VIRGINIA FOXHOUND AND THE BLOODHOUND, THE BREED WAS DEVELOPED TO TRAIL POSSUM AND RACCOON, AND TO GIVE VOICE WHEN THE QUARRY HAS BEEN TREED.
color as well as for its confident and tenacious nature, the “Chessie” was originally recognized in 1878 as the Chesapeake Bay Dog. The American Foxhound is an amalgam of hounds brought to the US from England and France. In 1650, Robert Brooke arrived in Virginia with his pack of hounds and these were combined with Grand Bleu de Gascogne Hounds given to General George Washing- ton by the Marquis de Lafayette. Later, Irish-bred Foxhounds were introduced to improve speed. Officially recognized by the AKC in 1886, the breed was developed into several fox hunting strains that include the Walker, Calhoun, and the Penn-Marydel, among others. In 1945, the Black and Tan Coonhound received full AKC rec- ognition to become the first of five Coonhound breeds to do so. Descended largely from Brooke’s Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound and the Bloodhound, the breed was developed to trail possum and raccoon, and to give voice when the quarry has been treed. The Black and Tan is tireless while in pursuit and can travel many miles through the night without tiring.
76 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2021
Powered by FlippingBook