Plott Hound

Most people do not realize that the Plott Hound is one of the few breeds developed within the United States. He is quite unique in that he has strong ties to his German roots and is the only Coonhound that does not descend from the Foxhound. The Plott Hound descends directly from the Hanoverian Schweisshunden which is a type of Bloodhound. Two German immigrants, Johannes Georg Plott and his brother, brought five Hanoverian Schweisshundens with them when they came to North Caroline in 1750. Johannes Plott’s brother died and he changed his name to Jonathan Plott. Plott began cultivating a hound that was able to hunt bear and other large predators. He began breeding the Hanoverian Schweisshundens with Curs and other Bloodhounds. These early dogs were expected to perform multiple jobs around the farm including hunting, protecting and driving livestock and guarding the home from intruders. He had to be hardy enough to hunt in the rough terrain of the mountains in western North Carolina. Today, the Plott Hound is still an all-around dog that has the ability to accomplish many jobs. Being a big game hunter, the Plott Hound was used in 1960 by the emperor of Japan to hunt bears that were attacking villagers and their animals. There were ten Plott Hounds used on this hunting expedition. The United Kennel Club recognized him in 1946. In 1989, North Carolina named the Plott Hound as its official state dog. The America Kennel Club did not officially recognize the Plott Hound as a breed until 2006.