Sometime between 750 and 900, the monks of Saint Hubert, the patron saint of hounds and the hunt, began a regimented breeding program which eventually resulted in the Saint Hubert Hound. By all accounts, it’s the first record of an organized breeding program in Europe.

By the 1200’s, an annual gift was to the King of France from the monastery. Several hounds were given to him which he would distribute to his nobles as gifts. Eventually, the Saint Hubert Hound spread widely across France and England, but today, we know the descendants of these dogs as Bloodhounds.

Image: Wire Sculpture of Bloodhound by Bridget Baker 
Stockbridge Gallery
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