George Washington: Founding Father of more than just a country ...

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As first President and Father of Our Country, George Washington’s life is etched into our collective memory. And if we had to guess, we’d bet that most people think they know everything there is to know about the famous chopper of cherry trees.

(Which, by the way, is totally not true.)

Pretty much everyone you talk to will say they knew he was a Revolutionary War general. But very few would probably know that he was a canine aficionado. And when we say aficionado, we don’t mean he had a few dogs here and there … no, he owned dozens of dogs.

Some were family pets, but many had very specific jobs on the sprawling 7600-acre Mount Vernon.

Dogs, dogs everywhere!

Breeds at his home included Briards, Dalmatians, English Foxhounds, French Hounds, Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Mastiffs, Newfoundlands, Pointers, Spaniels and Terriers.

And when it came to that many dogs, Washington was creative in naming them.

Female dogs were frequently given affectionate names such as Sweet Lips, Truelove, Juno, Duchess and a particularly frisky one, Madame Moose. Males were named after revelry, such as Taster, Tippler and Drunkard.

But he wasn’t done. He also celebrated music and singing: Droner, Hearkwell, Music and Singer.

Dogs were more than family pets

Mount Vernon was also home to numerous dog kennels. You see, fox hunting was Washington’s passion. He went on more than 150 hunts during his lifetime and would often be gone for several days at a time.

“Washington was an avid fox hunter,” said Bob Ferrer, Master of Fox Hounds for the Caroline Hunt in Caroline County, Virginia. “His diaries are replete with descriptions of his hunts, the hounds. He was a superb horseman, perhaps the greatest horseman of his time.”

But this isn’t even the surprising part!

George Washington is credited with creating an entire dog breed, the American Foxhound. Now, it’s completely normal to ask yourself why would George Washington create a new dog breed.

Let’s take a look at why …

A new dog for the New World

Think about it. His pastime (besides leading the fledgling new republic) was fox hunting, but his hounds weren’t bred for the New World.English Foxhounds were bred for the multi-hedged patchwork of the English countryside. And the Virginia landscape was shaped by immense expanses of rolling hills, woodlands, mountain ranges, and plains. This new land needed a hound that was lighter of limb than their heavy-boned, sturdy English counterparts.

His goal was to breed “a superior dog, one that had speed, sense, and brains.”

According to Mary Thompson, research historian at Mount Vernon, many dog breeds were developed through selective breeding over many years.“The fact that American Foxhounds have a lighter build and longer legs than English Foxhounds suggests that Washington and others who were developing this new breed wanted a good hunting dog that was faster than the English dogs,” she says. Thompson added that American Foxhounds also work more individually than as a pack, with each dog being willing to take the lead.”

The American Foxhound: an American melting pot

The full story of how Washington came to his new breed is seemingly lost to history. But we do know most of it.

The story of the American Foxhound begins in 1785. That’s when Washington received a shipment of French hounds from Marquis de Lafayette. Some believe they were Grand Bleu de Gascogne, a breed that originated as far back as the 1300s.

The hounds weren’t quite what he was looking for. First of all, they were huge. Washington’s step-grandson recalled these dogs “were of great size ... and from their strength, were fitted, not only to pull down the stately stag, but in combat to encounter the wolf or boar, or even to grapple with the lordly lion.”

Not only that but they apparently battled so fiercely over food at mealtimes that a servant was at hand to keep the peace.

It’s natural to ask what good these dogs would be, given their faults. But what they lacked in some desired traits, they more than made up for in something invaluable to a new breed: a secure, carefully-tended bloodline that would provide reliability and quality.

Washington crossed the French hounds with his Virginia pack. After subsequent cycles, the result was a breed of dog that was lighter, faster and a pleasant disposition.

And that, is history in the making!

About the American Foxhound

Courtesy of American Kennel Club breed description.

Personality

American Foxhounds are good-natured, low-maintenance hounds who get on well with kids, dogs, even cats, but come with special considerations for prospective owners. They are sleek, rangy hunters known for their speed, endurance, and work ethic. They’re easygoing and amiable but they can get depressed and destructive if they don’t get enough exercise. Moreover, as scenthounds, it may never be safe to have them off-leash since their noses can lead them into trouble. However, foxhounds raised in the home tend to be wonderfully mild-tempered, devoted, and easygoing companions.