Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
U.S. courts have followed history's footsteps. Early on, courts required proof of purity of
bloodhound stock before they would accept trailing evidence. As an Ohio court noted in
1896: “It is a matter of common knowledge, and therefore a matter of which courts will take
notice, that the breed of dogs known as bloodhounds is possessed of a high degree of intelli-
gence and acuteness of scent. . . . ”
It's not just legal precedent: Habit and niche needs work against us. Practically speaking, a
law enforcement handler is going to train a patrol dog to track the guy who broke into Pizza
Hut an hour before. Spending weeks or years training the dog to intersect and then follow a
two-day-old trail isn't cost-effective, although more than one dog trainer thinks a shepherd or
Malinois would do fine with a two-day-old trail. Bloodhounds have an edge because no one
expects them to pay attention to anything but their nose on a trail.
“Dogs of any breed with the proper temperament that are trained the way top blood-
hounds are can probably do as well as the best bloodhound,” wrote retired Maine state game
warden Deborah Palman. “One advantage of bloodhounds and other single-purpose tracking
dogs is that they are not taught to hang on every word or gesture of the handler. They learn to
track and do that job alone, without the interference of having to know sit, down, and heel.”
The “history is destiny” sentiment also backfires against the bloodhound. Put a dog that
huge and ungainly on a pedestal, and it's bound to fall off. All the overstatements (some
of which come from a few delusional bloodhound handlers) work against the professional
bloodhound handler who has to contend with the myths. A truthful, talented handler sounds
like he's badmouthing the breed or his own dog when he's just being honest. A bloodhound
and handler can accomplish something amazing, such as following a long, cross-contamin-
ated eight-day-old trail—which, in its own small way, is like landing a disabled jetliner safely
on the Hudson River—yet people think, “Hey, no big deal.” After all, bloodhounds do that
all the time.
Roger Titus is a big fan of bloodhounds, which is as it should be, since he's had fourteen
during his long career. He has run behind thousands during trainings, and he's vice presid-
ent of the National Police Bloodhound Association, “dedicated to the advancement of the
man-trailing bloodhound.” The association celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2012. Roger,
who is seventy and still running, traces the rise and slow fall of the bloodhound in law en-
forcement with some regret. Part of the bloodhound's decline as a law enforcement dog is
simply a question of time and money: Everyone is a pragmatist these days. A dog who trails
like nobody's business but doesn't do anything else for a small or medium-sized K9 unit isn't
going to be a department's first budget choice. If a police department is going to buy a dog,
Roger notes, a German or Dutch shepherd or a Malinois—who can protect its handler, find
dope, do short tracks, and bite people—will be considered the ideal candidate. But multipur-
pose dogs aren't always wonderful at every single thing they do. There are only so many hours
