The exact origins of the bloodhound are not clear, but it is believed they originated in central Europe – potentially in countries such as France or Belgium.The St. Hubert hound was first bred in circa 1000 AD, and from around the thirteenth century onwards, the King of France received several pairs of black hounds as a gift from monks. After the French Revolution in 1789, these gifts to the royal family ended, and hunting went into a decline for several decades. The original St. Hubert hound died out in the nineteenth century.
In England, bloodhounds were first referenced in the 1300s, with stories written by Robert the Bruce and William Wallace involving being followed by ‘sleuth hounds’. The bloodhound was renowned for its strong sense of smell and ability to track humans – even in medieval times. The seventeenth century scientist, Robert Boyle, described how a bloodhound tracked a man across seven miles and two towns away.
Purebred bloodhounds were first introduced to the United States from Britain at the end of the 1800s. They have been used extensively by law enforcement, both in the U.S. and around the world, to track criminals and missing people. Even with technological advances, the bloodhound is still one of the most reliable tools available to agencies and law enforcement seeking to find humans.