Plott: History

The Plott Hound descends from five Hanoverian Schweisshunds brought to North Carolina in 1750 by German immigrant Johannes Georg Plott. In Germany the dogs had been used as boarhounds, but North Carolina had bears, and that's what Plott trained his dogs to hunt. Plott's descendants continued to breed the dogs, and they became known as Plott's hounds.

They spread throughout the Smoky Mountains, with each hunter adding his own touch to the breed, and eventually returned to their roots by being used to hunt wild boar in addition to bear. They were also used to hunt mountain lions and, with judicious crosses to add better treeing ability, raccoons.

In the early 1900s, a cross with some black-and-tan hounds owned by a man named Blevins brought the Plotts additional scenting talent as well as the black-saddled brindle pattern. Today, most Plott Hounds trace their pedigrees back to the two legendary hounds that resulted from this cross: Tige and Boss.

The breed began to be registered by the United Kennel Club in 1946. The Plott Hound became the official dog of North Carolina in 1989. He's also registered by the American Kennel Club and is starting to make his way in the show ring.

He is still relatively rare, however, and is most often found in the mountains of Appalachia, the Smokies, and other wild parts of the country where his hunting skills are appreciated.

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