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PLOTT HOUND |
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The story of
the Plott Hound parallels that of the Plott family and their neighbors
in the Great Smoky Mountains that join North Carolina and Tennessee, in
what was Cherokee territory. Sixteen-year-old Johannes Plott emigrated
to this area from Germany in 1750 with his brother Enoch, who died on
the journey. With them came their Hanoverian-type schweisshunds. The descendants
of these hounds were fostered, bred and hunted by seven generations of
Plotts.
As generations
of Plotts married and began families in other parts of the mountains,
their hounds spread with them. The Plott's hounds ran the mountainsides
for over 200 years. Used on a variety of game, these hounds were bear
dogs par excellence. They didn't carry any specific breed name in the
early days. Those belonging to Plotts were called Plott's Hounds, those
bred by the Cables of Swain County were named Cable Hounds, etc., even
though the hounds were all basically the same type and breeding. The original
schweisshunds were crossed with other hounds and with cur types especially
for their treeing ability. At one time, the breed was even referred to
as the Plott Cur. But through the years, each of these clans maintained
the original type of a tough, persistent, coldtrailing hound. H.T. Crockett,
the Hannahs, the Cruse family, the Reece brothers, the Will Orr family
and Blain Blevins all had notable strains.
By the 1920s,
the old strains of these brindle mountain-bear dogs needed a boost.
The Blevins Hounds were a strain of black-saddled tan hounds also known
in the Great Smokies. Gola Ferguson, who had bred hounds of the Plott
type for many years, crossed some of his with those of Blevins' type.
The result of this cross, "Tige" and "Boss," was
two legendary hounds that became known throughout the vast mountain
range. Bred back to Plott types, they provided the boost that was needed
to revive this old breed. Almost all modern registered Plotts trace
to one or the other of these pillars. Even the Plott families, always
able to appreciate a fine hound, bought dogs from Ferguson to improve
their own stock. This cross also introduced the black-saddled brindle
pattern.
When this
breed was suggested for UKC registration in 1946, there were those
that wanted them called Ferguson Hounds or Cable Hounds. Although
many contributed to the breed, the Plott family received the honor
in the final selection.
Plotts are
very tough hounds who not only can coldtrail a 500-pound bear or a
boar, but can stand up to that type of game when they have it cornered.
As Ferguson said of one of his dogs, "Against bear, he was a
one man army." One hunter's eager female Plott always tore up
a bear's ear, which she'd grab and hang on to stubbornly. The Plotts
are hounds of fine nose and beautiful voice, and are easily trained,
Hack Smithdeal,
a well-to-do, avid bear hunter of Tennessee, did much to publicize
the Plott breed. He claimed this breed to be the best he could find
for bear hunting, and much of his famous pack came directly from John
Plott and his son, George Plott, in the 1930s. A 1946 demonstration
with SmithdeaTs hounds for the Conservation Department opened bear
hunting with dogs in Michigan. From Smithdeal dogs came the hounds
of the Pioneer Kennel of Dale Brandenburg, who has produced many outstanding
Plotts.
Although
the lighter brindle color was common earlier, after the Blevins cross
the most usual pattern was a black-saddled brindle, some almost a
solid black with brindling only on the legs. Other colors appear in
the breed, including slate blue from the Blue Delch strain and a very
few buckskins. The buckskin color has recently been barred from registration
due to the fact that some of that color had come from Redbone crosses.
The Plott breeders, like the Blue Gascon and Majestic promoters, want
to maintain the old hunting type without adulteration from hot-nosed
speed hounds.
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