Dante, Foxhound?

[Dante]

Greetings,
So I'm fully aware that my dog may not, and likely is not a pure-bred dog. That being said, he does resemble several different breeds of dog, in particular the english foxhound, lemon colored. Dante is ~1 year old +/- a month, and my gf and I found him wandering the streets of Ottumwa, Iowa. Then, he was approximately 15 pounds and probably 9 inches at the whithers. After a lengthy search to locate his owner, we decided to keep the little guy. Today, he stands 22 inches at the whithers and weighs in at 55 lbs. Here are some photos:

This was the little hound back when we found him.

Some more recent pics

Anyways, there are some clues to his pedigree based on the fact no one wanted to claim the little guy. Breeds such as Harriers and english foxhounds would be quite rare in Ottumwa, Iowa, and would be worth quite a bit. While there are large beagles, a 22 inch 55 lbs specimen would be quite unheard of. I feel that he is likely not american foxhound based on his square head shape. Which I find quite different from the american breed, which I see more traits from the Grand Bleu de Gascogne. That being said, most of my experience with Americans is mostly based on the popular walker coonhound. From what I have seen, lemon is also much more common in the english foxhound than in the american. Please feel free to offer me some of your thoughts. I'm very interesting in finding out what exactly my little guy is.

 

[MicksMom]

All the breeds you mentioned aren't all that popular. Honestly, I think you have a Lab mix. Something about his head and face in the last two shots reminds me of a Jack/Parson Russel Terrier. I think I see some Beagle, too. He's a cute fellow.

 

[Dante]

That has always been a definite possibility, given their popularity. I actually get quite a few comments on his resemblance to the RCA dog.

 

[Dekka]

I don't see any JRT to be honest. He does look like a fox hound. I would guess a hound cross of some kind. Around here a fox hound wouldn't be all that rare a breed.

 

[Kat09Tails]

I'd have him pegged as a yellow lab/dal cross but that's all I see

 

[Dekka]

A yellow lab dal cross? Umm not if they were purebreds. The parti markings don't come from either dals or labs. And the yellow of a lab is different from the lemon in many breeds (all labs are genetically yellow)

 

[Kat09Tails]

Funny enough the spots do look like other lab/dal mixes I have met. I was mainly going off of size/shape rather than color. I guess catahoula cur mix could also be a possibility, the small end lines do tend to run down by the 50's and they do come in just about any color.

Do you need to know the mix for something Dante?

 

[Dizzy]

Lab/hound mix.

Or something totally different - sometimes you simply can't tell. My dog has 5 different breeds in her (that I know of) - so could well be anything.

 

[Dante]

Oh there is no real need to know his origins. He's a dog with a great temperament and healthy with very little problems thus far. Its a mere matter of curiosity shared by my girlfriend and I. I will say that he bays like a hound, deep and reverberating. Another thing that led me to think he's part hound has been his feet. They are quite tight and small unlike a labs. But of course I just wanted to welcome what other people see (esp. if its something I haven't yet).

 

[BostonBanker]

I guess catahoula cur mix could also be a possibility, the small end lines do tend to run down by the 50's and they do come in just about any color.

A lot of individual pieces remind me of Meg, who is a Mountain Cur - the feet and ear shape/carriage especially. Even the body shape to an extent, although Dante's face is much longer than hers. I wouldn't be shocked if there was some breed of Cur in there.

 

[oakash]

I see lab/pointer/hound

Not sure which I see more out of the pointer and hound, and I'm just saying because of the spotting

 

[Pops2]

A lot of individual pieces remind me of Meg, who is a Mountain Cur - the feet and ear shape/carriage especially. Even the body shape to an extent, although Dante's face is much longer than hers. I wouldn't be shocked if there was some breed of Cur in there.

i see cur in the head as well. IA is part of the dogging heartland. and several good cur & treehound breeders are in that state. treeing curs ( a UKC program that registers crossbreds for foundations, the most common cross is Mt Cur X treeing walker) are highly possible in the area.

 

[Dante]

The UKC page for the treeing cur certainly seems to describe his build and head. One of the few hounds I've seen that seem to have his ear shape.

 

[YodelDogs]

English Foxhounds are incredibly rare in the US. The 5th picture down shows what looks like a Lab's "otter tail". I would lean toward a Lab x Beagle cross. (Beagles come in lemon.)

 

[Dekka]

I would think that would depend on where you are. I know there are a fair number in Virginia, for example. Though I doubt they are ever registered. Hunting kennels pet out a fair number of failed hunters. The hunt club around here seems to supply a fair number of pets.

Fox Hunting in Virginia & VA Fox Hunt Clubs

so while they might not all be 'english foxhounds' and actually a mix between american and english they still out there. I bet most dog people here in Ontario would say they are really rare, but they aren't, you just don't see them. And when you do they don't look like your typical 'pure bred' and look like a hound cross.

And many have thick otter like tails. Here is one from my local hunt club..

Working bred non registered, so they don't show up on most peoples radar, but there are quite a few kicking around.

 

[Dante]

I am actually unaware of the make up of the dog population in southern Iowa, as I live in a more northern portion. I will say my suspicion that Dante is part hound (beagle or Foxhound) came from two pictures I've seen which I think he resembles.
Both are show breed pictures. First is an english foxhound.

Next, is actually a beagle bitch by which I was especially struck how closely he resembles her.

I cannot dispute a lab/beagle cross, as he essentially looks like a very large version of this dog to me. However, every 'beaglador' I've come across seems to have a fairly consistent trait, a very narrow snout in comparison to its head. There is of course a large variation in possible outcomes, but this observation still makes me cautious about thinking he is a lab/beagle cross.

Biggest thing that makes me think hes not a lab/beagle though is of course his non-beagle or lab personality. He is happy to see both people and dogs, but I've never really seen the usual over amorous disposition typical of beagles and somewhat from labs.