Redbone Coonoodle

The Redbone Coonoodle is a relatively new hybrid, though the two breeds that make the hybrid have long histories. The Redbone Coonhound was developed in America and is a descendent of Foxhounds and Bloodhounds. Red Foxhounds were imported into the United States with Scottish Immigrants in the late 1700’s; prior to the Civil War, Red Irish Foxhounds arrived with settlers from Ireland. During the late 1700’s coon hunters were seeking a faster dog who could find and tree raccoons more quickly than the area’s current breeds. The efforts to produce such a dog led to the Redbone Coonhound. While early dogs of the breed had black over their backs, as it was found that the red color was preferred, the black was bred out of the breed. George Birdsong, a well-known fox hunter and dog breed, successfully refined the breed in the 1840’s. Some believe that the breed got its name as a result of its color, but more than likely the breed is named for a promoter of the breed named Peter Redbone. The breed became better known after the book “Where the Red Fern Grows” as it included two Redbone Coonhounds. The breed was ultimately recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2009. The Poodle is considered to be one of the oldest breeds ever developed. While the Poodle is believed to have come from Germany, the breed became what we know today in France and is a combination of several European dogs (to include the Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian and French water dogs). Other dogs believed to be ancestors of the breed include the North African Barbet; it has also been considered that the Poodle is a descendant of Asia herding dogs brought with the Ostrogoth and German Goth tribes. Another theory is that the Poodle has ancestors from the Asian steppes and that these dogs, along with the Moors in the 8^th century, arrived in Portugal after the defeat of the North African Berbers. Statues and drawings of dogs that appear like the Poodle have been found among Roman artifacts and Egyptian tombs from the first century B.C.. The gypsies trained Poodles to be circus dogs and perform tricks. In 1888 the American Kennel Club recognized the breed.