In the middle of the 1800s,  one Count Joseph de Carayon-Latour of Chateau Virelade, wanted to increase Saintonge Hound numbers to save the breed from vanishing (sadly, it didn’t work, the breed is now extinct). He came into possession of descendents of the only Saintonge hounds to have survived the French Revolution and bred them with Grand Bleu de Gascognes from the kennel of the Baron de Ruble.

The first generation offspring were of such impressive quality that the two continued to breed them, the resulting dogs given the name, “Grand Gascon-Saintongeois,” the “grand” referring not to its size, but to the large game it hunted. Over time, the dogs were selectively bred for certain hunting traits, and for an attractive blue color that occasionally showed up in some litters.

At this point, we bring in George Washington. Yes, that George Washington. It’s common “dog knowledge” that he’d been given five French hounds by his friend, Marquis de Lafayette, who, upon hearing that Washington wanted a faster hunting dog, brought him the French dogs. These dogs were later crossed with English Foxhounds for speed, the resulting dogs being larger and faster hounds that would evolve into the modern day American Foxhound.

Over time, however, speed became less important to some hunters who wanted dogs that could follow cold scents. These hunters started breeding for the trait, and resulting pups were originally called English Coonhound, the name by which the breed was originally registered with the United Kennel Club. At the request of the Bluetick fanciers, the UKC changed the name in 1946 to the Bluetick Coonhound, and that’s the name by which the AKC recognized it in 2009.

Grand Gascon Saintongeois

There is a line of Bluetick Coonhounds known as the Smokey River, a strain attributed to Warren J Haslauer of Smokey River Kennels. It can be traced back to the Grand Gascon Saintongeois created by our friend from the first paragraph, Count Joseph de Carayon-Latour, and explains why a white color will show up from time to time in Bluetick litters. These dogs are reportedly super fast on a track, cold nosed, and very accurate tree dogs. Indeed, in one forum, Housler’s Smokey River hounds are described as being a cornerstone of the Bluetick Coonhound breed, and one of the most influential kennels.

Image: Bluetick Coonhound/Tennessee Vols “Smokey” watercolor by Grace of GraceManningArt is available as a print here