Trigg Hound

In the mid to late 1800s the Red Fox was introduced into Kentucky when they migrated westward from Virginia, and the change of quarry from Gray Fox to Red caused trouble for the Foxhounds that had previously dominated the area. The Red Fox was larger than it’s cousin had been, and they ranged much further, making them more difficult to track than the smaller Grey Fox had been. Hunters and breeders of the foxhound sought a way to develop a faster hound, with a stronger prey drive. George Washington Maupin, Larry F. Birdsong, and John W. Walker each developed their own strains. Maupin and Walker, in particular, frequently utilized a rat-tailed Black and Tan Hound named Tennesee Lead as a stud dog for their lines. Nobody knew Tennesee Lead’s parentage, although it was clear he was some sort of fox hunting dog;  he had been acquired from a man by the name of Tom Harris, who located the animal during a deer hunt near the border of Kentucky, and he was a hard hunting hound. When Colonel Haiden C. Trigg decided to develop a faster breed of hound to chase the faster foxes, he chose dogs from all three of the other breeders and combined them to achieve his goals. The dogs that he developed were not considered to be particularly attractive, but they were exceptional hunters with endurance, courage, and a well-honed fox sense. These dogs gained a great deal of popularity with hunters after famed big-game hunter Paul J. Rainey returned from hunting with twenty-five of Triggs new strain and declared them to be “the best and most courageous hounds in the world.”