For the naysayers who shrug and say that purebred dogs have gone past their “sell by date” because many of the jobs for which they were created no longer exist, we say, “Pfffffftttt.” While it’s true, for example, that we don’t hunt Otters anymore, the Otterhound can be repurposed as a scent dog, and actually was in the United Kingdom in 1995 when “Cautious,” “Grayling,” and two other Otterhounds were trained for a Track and Search Dog Service for Dorset and the New Forest when it was found that the breed could track much longer, and on much colder scents than German Shepherd police dogs.

And why wouldn’t they?

The Otterhound’s nose has been compared to the Bloodhound’s, one of its direct ancestors, and advocates say the breed does one better than the Bloodhound because it routinely scents on land (where the scent is referred to as a “drag”), and on water (where it’s called a “wash”).

“They’re the hardiest breed I know – they just keep going and going,” said Otterhound owner and trainer, Karl Hopton. “You could go through thickest brambles and gorse with an Otterhound and it wouldn’t bat an eyelid. A Bloodhound wouldn’t even attempt it – it would go around and try to pick up the scent on the other side.”

In 1908, the Northern County Otterhounds executed the longest “drag” then on record: From Ellishaugh Bridge to Catcleugh Reservoir and Blakehopeburn – 23 miles!

Last year, we learned that only some 600 Otterhounds are left in the world. In our view, this is a criminal waste of an old, esteemed, and highly terrific breed. #SaveOurBreeds

Image: Otterhound from 1919 by Louis Agassiz Fuertes