We would bet that only one breed standard includes the phrase, “sine qua non” – translation: An essential condition that is absolutely necessary. The words appear in the AKC standard for the English Foxhound in the section on elbows: “Elbows set quite straight, and neither turned in nor out are a sine qua non.” Old documents go on to describe the English Foxhound’s front as having to be as straight as traditional gun barrels, and equally strong. A poorly constructed front can lead to splay feet, weak pasterns and shallow pads, abominations in a breed so dependent upon its feet.
That said, there is dissension in the ranks, so to speak, and we’ve come across at least one opinion declaring what a shame it is that there’s a disconnect between AKC Foxhound standards, and those of the foxhunting community. The Masters of Foxhounds Associations in American and in England keep their own breed registries, both of which may be larger than the AKC Foxhound registry. You can read this opinion by Norman Fine here.
“South Union Hounds” by Louise Barrett
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