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CHIEN D'ARTOIS |
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Northern France,
bordering the English Channel, consists of the historical regions of Normandy
and Artois. Normandy, Brittany's eastern neighbor, has the same rolling
plains and poor soils. As one moves east into Artois right up on the Belgian
border, however, fertile soils and forests abound. The Ardennes area of
Belgium, where the St. Hubert was developed, is a near neighbor. Hounds
from these regions stem from some of the earliest types.
The d'Artois
dog was a favorite by the 17th century. The Prince Alexandre de Gray wrote
to the Prince de Galle, in 1609, of his intention to "send a pack
of little d'Artois dogs to the king ..." In fact, this small French
hound may have contributed to the formation of the Beagle in England.
By the 19th century,
the curse of fashion was laid upon the breed. It became chic among French
hunters to avail themselves of the dogs from the British Isles. With the
importation of many British types, the inevitable crossbreeding resulted
in the deterioration of the pure d'Artois. Crossing also took place with
the taller, more elegant, longer, scroll-eared hounds called Normands
(now extinct). During the 1800s, only the packs kept at Chantilly and
those of the Prince de Conde retained the ancient type.
In the 1880s,
Ernest Levair and his cousin, M. Therouanne, began a 20-year effort to
breed the original d'Artois, removing the last of the Normand blood. Although
their efforts resulted in great success, the war years again nearly destroyed
the breed. Once thought to be extinct, there are now about 500 dogs registered
in their stud books, making a strong comeback since 1975. They have the
small size, shorter head, sturdy body with wide chest, and long, but very
flat ears of the original type.
This breed is
a supple, rustic hunting dog that is becoming increasingly available to
French hunters. Used in small packs for rabbit, other small quarry, or
even wild boar, he has a melodious, high bark.
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