The history of American tracking dogs goes back to the shameful days of slavery and the hunting of escaped slaves. I did not know until I read an article from 1920 written by a West Virginia judge that bloodhounds were first imported not just for their tracking skills, but also for their strength in apprehending the slaves. The first trackers were fox hounds, but these dogs were not enough of a threat. Judge McWhorter's words, in "The Bloodhound as a Witness," are worth quoting at length: "During the slavery days of America, the slave-holders...
Saturday, January 16, 2010
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