Not a lot of breeds were created by someone who went on to found a kennel club (or be part of a fairy tale), but the Hamiltonstövare was. Count Adolf Hamilton, a Swedish cavalry officer of noble birth, developed the Hamiltonstövare in the late 1800’s as a hunting hound in Sweden by using English Foxhounds, Harriers, and three now-extinct breeds from Germany (the Curlandish Hound, Holsteiner Hound, and Heiderbracke); Hamilton, a “hound man” (hound is called stövar in Sweden) founded the Swedish Kennel Club and was its first president. The breed is also part of Swedish folklore: A small elf named, “Tomten” is accompanied by a Hamiltonstövare named “Karo,” and together, they help Swedish housewives. Show of hands: Who’d welcome an elf and a Hamiltonstövare to help do laundry?
Hamiltonstövare are eager to please their people, are great with children, and make tremendous hunters. The biggest problem is finding one. National Purebred Dog Day is pretty tickled that a Hamilton owner/breeder is a good friend to NPDD.
Image: Hamiltonstovare digital art by Linda Zielinski
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