Crufts - An Affair of the Hound...

Not surprisingly, I have always had a weakness for hounds - both sighthounds and scenthounds. In Europe there are many different continental hounds that we never see here in Canada. One of my favourite parts of Crufts was wandering around and seeing all the breeds I had never seen before. With the exception of the HPR (Hunt Point Retrieve - ie versatile hunting dogs like our GSPs and GWPs), I've included several of them here. With a few exceptions, most are hounds. I'll do the HPRs separately.


Hamiltonstovare

This is by far my favourite hound. I had seen a few photos of them before but had never seen one live in the flesh. A medium sized hound, they have a beautiful elegance while still being all scenthound. I would love to import one of these. (Now you know why Dad shakes his head everytime I see a breed I like lol)




Azawahk



Basset Fauve de Bretagne

These were cute little guys.





Bleu Gascogne Basset





Bleu Gascogne Grand

As with these last two breeds, it is a common thing for many hounds, particularly french ones, to have a small (Basset) size and a large (Grand) size.



Bavarian Mountain Hound



Cirneca d'ell Etna



Hovawart




Kooikerhondje



Lagotto Romagnolo



Lancashire Heeler

A typical feisty heeler - one of the few non-hounds in this list. This is a breed native to England.




Portuguese Podengo Rough




Portuguese Podengo Smooth

The Podengos were just adorable. As their notes said - why tango when you can podengo?



Sloughi




Segugio Italiano





And for those who asked my favourite part of heathrow...