The Medieval Hunter Otterhound

No, they are not water babies but were bred to hunt otters in medieval England. This is a tough breed and is a scarce one today

The Otterhound is a rare breed, on the Vulnerable Native Breed List by the UK Kennel Club, ranging around 800 in total worldwide. Would you believe this makes them even more rare than the Giant Panda on the Endangered Species List - at 1864 currently? Here's the Otterhound, a scent hound with a waterproof coat and powerful hind legs, equipping them for what was once their calling.

ORIGIN: The earliest mention of hounds used to hunt otter - to protect the natural food resource of fish for the folk was about 1200 A.D. during the time of King John, and the Otterhound came about as a result of crossbreeding between several large breeds including the wolf. The first recorded Otterhounds known to resemble the current breed were in the North-West of England in the early 1800s. As well as hunting through the centuries, Otterhounds ruled dog shows into the early 1900s under Kennel Club rules. A few issues ago, we had written about the Griffon Vendeen breed and upon research on the Otterhound discovered that they share a connection. In the second half of the 19th century, French Griffons were outcrossed, including one-eighth Wolf cross/Griffon Vendéen, following which the Griffon Nivernais was crossed into the breed, in the early 20th century. What came of this was a peculiar breed, one dog in particular named Boatman, a Grand Griffon Vendéen/Bloodhound cross no doubt a marker for several Otterhounds to trace their lineage to, in some form or another.