He probably started with the Hanoverian hound in developing his dogs. Elias Plott bred canines to be multipurpose workers-they needed to be exceptional big-game hunters, as well as farm and herding dogs. These five dogs had been a gift from Plott’s father, Elias, a gamekeeper near Heidelberg, Germany. (It is one of only four dog breeds native to the United States.) The foundation stock (or ancestors) for the dogs that became Plott hounds came to America with Johannes Plott in 1750. The Plott hound is the only officially recognized breed of dog developed in North Carolina. What’s the rest of the story behind North Carolina’s state dog? The Plott hound, as this kind of dog is known today, has a unique high-pitched bark that alerts hunters as it tracks and corners prey. They stand twenty to twenty-five inches at the shoulder, weigh about forty-five to fifty-five pounds, and are strong and fast. The dogs-once black, brown, or brindle-are now usually brindle (which is a mix of black, browns, and tans). The Plotts raised hardworking, tenacious, and loyal dogs that would hunt bear and wild boar with boundless courage. They would arrive with sacks on the backs of their mules or horses to carry home the prized dogs. Related activity: Plott hound coloring sheetīack in the mid- to late 1800s, people from as far away as Georgia traveled regularly to Haywood County to get puppies from the Plott family. The Plott Hound was officially adopted as the State Dog on August 12, 1989.
See also: North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions main page Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of History Reprinted with permission from Tar Heel Junior Historian Fall 2008.
By Ansley Herring Wegner, Research Historian, NC Office of Archives and History, 2008.
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