10 Incredible Bloodhound Facts

Bloodhounds are believed to have originated from ancient Mediterranean regions but can now be found all over the world.

Some bloodhound facts are that these animals make excellent police dogs and can track down missing people and even fugitives. But these tracker dogs are also amiable and affectionate, making them the perfect family dog. Let’s explore more fun bloodhound facts.

1. The Police First Used Bloodhounds To Catch a Serial Killer

Although German Shepherds are the most popular police dog today, the bloodhound was the first police dog. Jack the Ripper, a serial killer that lived in London during the 1880s, had police scrambling as he went on his violent killing spree. A bloodhound breeder suggested that the police use one of his hounds to track the killer, which they first frowned upon. But the London Metropolitan Police agreed to help from a bloodhound as they had run out of options.

2. Bloodhounds Are One of the Largest, Friendliest Dog Breeds

Male bloodhounds can grow to 28 inches tall and 119 pounds, while females grow to 26 inches tall and 106 pounds. These dogs have dense short-haired coats with loose skin. Their coats come in a vast array of colors like black, tan, or red. Another fact about bloodhound coat patterns is that some have white spots on their chest, feet, and tails. Although short-haired, they shed between one and two times a year. Some bloodhounds even shed all year round. Because of their loose skin, bloodhounds have droopy eyes, loose skin, and floppy ears.

3. The Most Popular Dog in Hollywood Was a Bloodhound

Stretch, a bloodhound played “Duke” in the Beverly Hillbillies. This 1960s American sitcom featured a dog character which was lovably lazy. Stretch also had roles in the Andy Griffith movie and the Tennessee Ernie Ford Show. Although he had a endearing indolence on camera, Stretch was quite active on set. However, this lazy behavior is uncharacteristic of bloodhounds despite their droopy eyes. Stretch passed away at 16, and his son, Duke, took over all of his father’s acting roles.

4. Bloodhounds Have Millions of Scent Receptors, More Than Any Other Dog Breed

Other breeds like Basset Hounds and Beagles have a powerful sense of smell, but bloodhounds easily beat them. According to scientists, bloodhounds have over 300 million scent receptors in their noses. This bloodhound fact means it has 40 times more receptors than humans. According to scientists, bloodhounds also have a better evolved olfactory lobe than humans, which makes their noses at least 1,000 better than humans’ noses.

5. Facts About Bloodhounds: They Can Follow Scents That Are Over 12 Days Old

Scientists have found that these dogs, with their well-developed noses, can track a scent trail over 300 hours old. What’s an even more astounding bloodhound fact is that they can distinguish the 12-day-old scent from newer, fresher scents. Many other animals may be confused when tracking an old scent if there are more recent, more prominent scents in the area. But bloodhounds can isolate smells and follow them. This attribute is the main reason that authorities use bloodhounds to track missing people and fugitives.

6. Bloodhound Fact: Guinness World Record for Admissible Court Evidence

A fun bloodhound fact is that they are the first animal to have their evidence successfully submitted in a court of law. Because many police teams work with bloodhounds, their findings are admissible in some courts across the United States. This interesting bloodhound fact happens more commonly than you may think. But not all bloodhounds are suitable for this purpose. For example, if your bloodhound has been able to track down a thief who stole your TV, this evidence will not be admissible in court. The bloodhound must be officially certified as a tracking dog for its success to be admissible in court.

7. Bloodhounds Have More Than One Tracking Device, and That’s a Fact

Besides their noses, bloodhounds have other physical features to help them when tracking. Bloodhounds have long-hanging ears, which may seem insignificant, but their ears support them when hunting. Considering other tracking breeds, like Beagles and Basset Hounds, you will notice that they also have long-hanging ears. But when bloodhounds point their noses to the ground, searching for scents, their long ears sweep forward. This sweeping motion collects odors from the environment, drawing them closer to the bloodhound’s nose. So, this unique bloodhound fact means that even their ears are an efficient tracking device, bringing as many odors as possible close to their nose for evaluation.

8. Bloodhound Fact: World Record For the Longest Ears

This prominent bloodhound feature helps the dog track scents by sweeping odor molecules forward. To achieve this goal, the ears need to be long-hanging. People breed bloodhounds to have long ears, resulting in Tigger, a bloodhound, holding the world record for the longest ears on a dog. Tigger’s left lobe measured 13.75 inches long, while the right lobe measured 13.5 inches long. Tigger died during October of 2009, and no other dog, not even a bloodhound, has come close to meeting or breaking his world record.

9. Great Working Dogs and Family Pets – Another Bloodhound Fact

Although police use bloodhounds for public service, they make good family dogs. These gentle and mild-mannered dogs are perfect for a family and love children and toddlers. They adapt well to other house pets and dogs if you have any. However, bloodhounds are social dogs and may become depressed if you leave them alone for too long. Still, these dogs can also be stubborn, independent, and single-minded. These bloodhound facts are why they need training and should engage with people at a young age. Aspiring bloodhound owners should also know that these dogs are known for drooling, and snoring, which can be pretty noisy.

10. Bloodhound Dog Facts: They’re a Fan Favorite in Disney Movies

Many of Disney’s classic films feature dogs as cartoons and characters, but bloodhounds have been featured the most out of all the breeds. For example, cartoon characters like Trusty from Lady and the Tramp, Napoleon and Lafayette in The Aristocats, Copper in Fox and the Hound, Towser from 101 Dalmatians, and Bruno from Cinderella were all bloodhounds. But the first bloodhound in the Disney universe was Pluto in the Mickey Mouse universe. Pluto, Goofy’s pet, became extremely popular and set a trend across the Disney universe. Today, Pluto is a mixed dog breed, but he was introduced as a bloodhound in the original cartoons.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Pleple2000, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons – License / Original