Below: Mavis, Major, Nick and Aggie watching us make dinner

If you are a stickler for a pristine home, then a bloodhound is not for you. If you dislike slobber (dog spit to the tenth power!) then a bloodhound is not for you. If you want a dog that will easily come when called, needs no fencing and will never chew your furniture, then a bloodhound is not for you!

Most bloodhounds will eat anything - meaning literally will eat anything. Our first bloodhound, Aggie, ate a pair of toenail clippers. We know this because we found them in her stool when picking up the yard! Owners must be very careful to monitor the dog’s access to foreign objects that can become a "snack"!

Many bloodhounds are quite creative "escape artists". They can dig out, climb out, jump over or flip the latch to the gate. Providing a secure yard for the bloodhound to exercise in is very important. The dog is not trying to run away, it's just that there is something interesting smelling on the other side!

Bloodhounds are loving, funny, smart, and sensitive. They make excellent family dogs for the family that has the patience to teach the bloodhound a few manners. All bloodhounds benefit from basic obedience training. No, most do not make "competitive" obedience contenders, but many can earn their Companion Dog title from the AKC.

Bloodhounds are happiest when they are with their family. This can translate into sharing the couch or even your lap! They do not do well when allocated to the back yard with little interaction with their human family.

Bloodhounds are one of the only breeds whose testimony is used in courts of law to convict criminals. Bloodhounds have the ability to discriminate the scent of an individual in a crowd of many people.

As a giant breed, bloodhounds are slow to mature both physically and mentally. Bloodhound ears require special attention as they can be prone to ear infections. There are many health issues that can affect bloodhounds ranging in severity from skin allergies to bloat with torsion.

Sadly, the average life span of a bloodhound is 10 years of age. We have been lucky and a number of our hounds have lived several years beyond the average.