HISTORY OF THE PLOTT HOUND:
The Plott Hound breed originated in the mountains of North Carolina around 1750 and is the only breed known to have originated in this State. Named for Jonathan Plott who developed the breed as a wild boar hound, the Plott Hound is a legendary hunting dog known as a courageous fighter and tenacious tracker. He is also a gentle and extremely loyal companion to hunters of North Carolina. The Plott Hound is very quick of foot with superior treeing instincts and has always been a favorite of big-game hunters.
The Plott Hound was officially adopted as the North Carolina State Dog on August 12, 1989.
Of the six breeds of U.K.C. registered Coonhounds, only the Plott Hound doesn't trace its ancestry to the foxhound; and of the breeds, we can be most certain of the Plott's heritage and the men most responsible for its development.
The ancestors of today's Plott were used for boar hunting in Germany many years ago. Jonathon Plott left his native Germany and came to this country in 1750. He brought a few wild boar hounds with him. These dogs had been bred for generations for their stamina and gameness. Plott and his family settled in the mountains of western North Carolina. In those days there were no wild boar in this country. Jonathon Plott used his dogs for hunting bears.
Plott supposedly kept his strain entirely pure, making no outcrosses. In 1780, the Plott pack passed into the hands of Henry Plott.
Shortly after that time a hunter living in Georgia who had been breeding his own outstanding strain of 'leopard spotted bear dogs' heard of the fame of the Plott Hounds and came to North Carolina to see for himself. He was so impressed that he borrowed one of Plott's top stud dogs for a year to breed to his own bitches. This single cross is the only known instance of new blood being introduced into the Plott Hound since they first came to this country.
As the fame of the Plott Hounds spread, coon hunters began to take an interest in those with treeing instinct. Because there are many more coonhunters in our country than there are bear and boar hunters, the Plott came to be classified as a coonhound. Even so, the Plott's traditional work is to track and bring to bay or tree big game such as bear, boar, and mountain lion and many Plotts today are still performing their original function.
Capable of speedily traversing diverse types of terrain and water in all seasons, the Plott is a bold, aggressive trailer with an open, unrestricted voice. Plott "music" is distinguished by a loud, ringing chop on the track and the tree, although bawl or squall trailing mouths are also acceptable. |
