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The great pet controversy - should coonhounds be sold into pet homes?
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Redbone Coonhound puppy
If you have ever shopped for a coonhound as a pet, you have likely encountered breeders who have refused to sell their coonhounds into pet homes. Those coonhound fanciers who hunt and breed their hounds work incredibly hard to get their lines where they are today. It takes generations for any dog breeder to get their lines to a point they feel they are making a sincere contribution to their breed. When you are not only breeding for good looks and personality but also function, the work becomes
harder. These breeders feel they are throwing away their hard earned genetics when they are sold into pet homes that won't hunt them and see this potential to fruition. More than one such coonhound breeder has told me that they would "rather put those pups into a hole out back than sell them to someone who won't hunt them." No, this does not mean any of them are literally doing this but it does show how firm they stand in their beliefs. I've witnessed countless coonhound puppies from these same outstanding lines being given freely to youth who wish to learn to coonhunt but lack the funds to obtain a quality coonhound. I've never met a coonhound hunter yet who would pass up the opportunity to see young people join their sport but even more so, I'm sure all will agree that allowing a young person to start out with a less than fantastic puppy with tons of potential is akin to a sin.
On the flip side, I know of several notable fanciers who have sold coonhound puppies into pet homes. The belief here is that they do make fantastic family pets. A good number of those pet owners become infatuated with their dog and it's breed and gain an interest in seeing what they can do. This also builds the numbers of brand new coonhound fanciers that will promote how wonderful coonhounds are. I have personally helped many pet owners to see the hunting potential of their coonhounds. I've never met a pet owner yet that didn't at least want to see if their instincts were there and some of those have went on to become quite active in hunting with their coonhounds.
As my husband is a third generation coonhound fancier and as someone hyper-dedicated to the betterment of the coonhound breeds, I can sympathize with both sides of this controversy. But in the end, I believe all of us will agree that a good coonhound is of fantastic temperament as well as superior hunting ability. As both of those traits are hereditary, I salute those coonhound breeders - past and present - who have made coonhounds what they are today.
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