Bloodhounds are very extraordinary animals. They are categorized as 'scent hounds,' which is to say, they hunt prey or track missing persons by scent rather than by sight.. They were originally bred for hunting deer and wild boar. However, since the Middle Ages until now, Bloodhounds have been used for tacking humans, and are now most often bred for that specific reason.

These dogs are used by the police and law enforcement all over the world to pursue escaped prisoners, people who have disappeared and even lost pets. Bloodhounds are perfectly designed for this job, and there are a few theories as to why. Some say that their long, droopy ears help to collect the scent from the air and keep it near the dog's face and nose. With their large nasal cavities, it is better to process the scent. Their lips are typically loose and moist and are said to help trap the scent particles. Whatever the reasons why, these dogs are exceptional 'tracking-machines.'

Bloodhounds are not fast runners, they don't need to be. They don't need to keep the prey in sight to follow it, but they do need and have great endurance in order to stick with the scent and follow it, especially over long distances and rugged countryside. Amazingly, the best of the scent hounds can track a scent trail across running water - even when it is several days old! What GPS can do that?

I saw a story on T.V. once about how a Bloodhound tacked down a little girl who had disappeared. The mother was inside the apartment doing the dishes and even though she was playing outside, her mother could keep an eye on the little girl. For what seemed like just a second, the mother looked away and suddenly a parent's worst nightmare happened - her little girl was nowhere in sight!

She ran outside screaming for her child, but when no answer came, she called the police. The policemen brought their Bloodhound to aid in the search. He was given the little girl's scarf. The dog took a few sniffs and immediately hit the trail. He led them away from the apartment building to the streets. I never knew that a bloodhound could sniff dead skin cells. We all shed them without noticing. The police surmised that it came from the girl's face through the open widow of the abductor's car. The scent led to the highway.

They put the dog in their cruiser and stopped at every intersection to let him out. He would sniff around to see if the kidnappers had taken one of the exits. Needless to say, this is a very long and tedious process. Eventually the dog pointed them to the exit the captors took. They had to purposely stop the dog and make him drink water. You see, a Bloodhound will track their quarry until they drop from exhaustion or death. They just won't give up until the 'object' is found. When the dog was too weak from hunger and fatigue, the police had to force him to leave the trail and go home to eat and sleep.

The next day, they resumed where they had left off. In about two hours the deep, booming voice of the Bloodhound resounded when he pinpointed what he was looking for. Excitement abounded! The police ran as fast as they could to keep up with him, only to be faced with the awful sight of where the little girl was buried.

No one wanted that ending to the search. The mother was heartbroken and beside herself with grief. Still, she said that she was very grateful to the police and that valiant, remarkable dog. They had put closure to her hellish ordeal.

Even though Bloodhounds can be a study in contradictions: docile yet stubborn, resolute but not quarrelsome, loving but somewhat shy, sensitive to kindness and correction, but still wanting their own way, these 'mantrailers' are invaluable to mankind. Undaunted by weather, impossible odds, painstaking distances, or even their own well-being, they persevere until the task is done - to the blessing of us all!