SUNDAY....DOGS

Wikipedia says this article does not cite any references or sources but as I rather liked the look of this dog I decided to go with it anyway.  I feel most of the facts would be pretty accurate.

The PORCELAINE is a breed of dog originating in France. It is believed to be the oldest of the French scent hounds.  Its alternate name is the Chien de Franche-Comte, named after a French region bordering Switerland.  This caused some debate over the dog's origin, but it has been decided that it is a French dog.

The Porcelaine gets its name from it shiny coat, said to make it resemble a porcelain statuette.  The fur is white, sometimes with orange spots, often on the ears.  The skin should be white with black mottling that is visible through the white coat.  The fur is incredibly short and very fine.  The nose of a Porcelaine dog is black with very wide nostrils.  It also has black eyes and long ears that droop down.  The neck is long and the tail starts thick and narrows to a point at the end.

 Porcelaines have a very high activity level and therefore need lots of exercise.  Because of this, they are not recommended for people living in apartments as they cannot get sufficient exercise without a lot of work on the owner's part.  Despite them being fierce hunters, they are gentle and relatively easy to handle.  They have no health issues specific to the breed although, of course, they suffer from general health issues like any other breed.  Their coat, due to its shortness, is very easy to care for.

This breed of dog is thought to be a descendant of the English Harrier, some of the smaller Laufhounds of Switzerland and the now-extinct Montaimboeuf.  There have been records of the breed in France since 1845 and in Switzerland since 1860.  The breed actually disappeared after the French Revolution (1789-1799) but has been reconstructed.  Breeders in the UK are attemtping to have the Porcelaine accepted as a recognised breed.  As of 2009 there have been 14 puppies bred in the UK.

The Porcelaine is a hunting dog usually used to hunt hare, roe deer and, in the north, wild boar.  They hunt in packs and being a scent hound, have a very good sense of smell with which it hunts.  It is a fierce hunting dog that has been bred to hunt independently without many orders from the owner.  It is also being bred in small numbers in Italy and used to hunt wild boar, however Italian indigenous hounds continue to be the preferred choice of local hunters.

Our white bull terrier also had a pink tummy with black spots on it.