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Bloodhounds: Best Friend

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Bloodhounds: Best Friend BLOODHOUNDS: A DETECTIVE’S BEST FRIEND Bloodhounds hunting deer, 1826. in Medieval Scotland as “sleuth hounds”, these dogs patrolled the Scottish borders from the 1300s to track Border Reivers – raiders of both Scottish and English descent who terrorised folks who lived near the border. So honoured were these sleuth hounds in Scotland that poems were written about both Robert the Bruce and William Wallace trying to outsmart and outrun these tremendous hunters. Descriptions of the bloodhound as we know it began to emerge in the 16th Century. John Caius, physician and pioneer in advancing the science of anatomy, wrote an account which gave the breed its name, describing how they would use the scent of blood to trace its quarry in game parks. Later, chemist Robert Boyle would write the earliest known report of the bloodhound’s skill to track people, recounting one dog’s capability in tracking a man for seven miles along a busy route, finding the suspect hiding in an upper floor of a building. ith their large ears and keen sense Bloodhounds have been excellent assets across of smell, the bloodhound has become the pond too, with some of the most famous noses W as celebrated a detective as the likes in sleuthing history coming from the United States. of Sherlock Holmes or Thomas Nightingale Nick Carter, named after a famous detective from himself. In fact, Sherlock Holmes employed America’s ‘dime novel’ pulp fiction, was born in the help of a “lop-eared creature, half spaniel 1900, owned and handled by Captain G V Mullikin and half lurcher, brown and white in colour” of Lexington, Kentucky, and held the record for known as Toby in The Sign of Four, a dog who picking up a cold trail after a long period of time, would later be portrayed by a bloodhound catching the scent of a suspect in an arson case in the BBC’s hit TV show, Sherlock. Holmes after 105 hours and leading authorities to the would have no other assistance, insisting he culprit. Nick Carter was responsible for successfully would “rather have Toby’s help than that of following over 650 trails, and ultimately became the whole detective force in London.” And the inspiration for many fictional crime-solving it’s no surprise that some of the world’s bloodhounds. Nick Carter’s record was smashed in greatest detectives have paired with 1954 when another keen-nosed, anonymous hound these sensational sniffer dogs. With an was capable of picking up a scent over 300 hours old olfactory bulb almost forty times larger to find a missing family in Oregon. than a human’s, crammed with nearly 300 million receptors, bloodhounds Perhaps the most famous bloodhounds from have noses so strong, they can catch British history are associated with the first “official” a whiff of the past! Their ability to experiment with police dogs – and the most pick up a scent in the air, combined notorious cold case from Victorian London. In 1888, with being absolutely tireless when Jack the Ripper was terrorising London’s streets. tracing, makes them a detective’s With the Metropolitan Police still in its adolescence, dream partner (and a crook’s worst the police found themselves under immense nightmare) when working a case. pressure to prove to the public that they were making headway with solving the case and catching The date of the breed’s arrival the killer, which led to some unconventional to the UK is hotly debated, methods of investigation. Police Commissioner Sir although it’s considered that Charles Warren was under extreme scrutiny from they are descendants of the the press who took every opportunity to ridicule hounds once kept at the Abbey his efforts (or lack thereof). When a letter to The of Saint-Hubert, Belgium. Used Times was published following the murders of primarily for hunting deer and Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes in late wild boar, there is evidence September, suggesting that police allow bloodhounds that bloodhounds have been the opportunity to try and trace the Ripper, Warren employed to track humans responded with cynicism, concerned that hounds would from as early as the Middle be unable to trace a suspect from a scene with no Ages, particularly in the evidence to acquire a scent from, and the fear the trail wilds of Scotland. Known would be easily lost in the city’s busy streets. waited outside Kelly’s door for two hours before discovering the dogs were no longer in London. Whilst Bungho and Barnaby may not have been able to catch the Ripper, never getting the chance to put their magnificent tracking skills to the test, it has been suggested that the dogs’ presence in London deterred the Ripper from committing further murders, pausing his killing spree. In 1901, Brough told Scarborough Magazine, “[The hounds] were not put to the test so far as the Whitechapel Murders were concerned, for no murder was committed during the time the hounds were in London. This I consider some evidence of the deterrent effect which the employment of bloodhounds would have on crime, for another of the ghastly Jack the Ripper tragedies was Edwin Brough with one of his bloodhounds. committed shortly after it was known that the hounds had been sent back to Despite the trials being successful, the overall Wyndyate.” It’s entirely possible that the Illustration from The Penny Illustrated Paper, 20 October and the man responsible for introducing experience would prove to become another blunder for vast media attention Burgho and Barnaby’s 1888, depicting Burgho and Barnaby training in London bloodhounds to America. Brough arrived in the Metropolitan Police and the Ripper case. Brough presence in London received, combined In a case already damning for the police, he feared London soon after with two of his finest hounds, was required to return to Scarborough in late October, with the notoriety of bloodhounds’ tracking employing hounds could lead to the conviction of the Burgundy (known as Burgho) and Barnaby. but left Burgho and Barnaby in London with his friend, skills, deterred the Ripper from striking wrong man, and thereby more humiliation for the Met. W K Taunton. Brough called for Burgho to be sent again to avoid the risk of being traced. But feeling pressure from the Home Office, he quickly Two-year-old Burgho and four-year-old to Brighton for a dog show soon after. As October Nevertheless, the experiment garnered began to experiment with bloodhounds. Barnaby were very used to working together, neared its end, and still receiving no confirmation negative press, with reporters creating a having both been through intensive training from the police as to whether or not they were damning picture of comedic incompetency Although dogs have accompanied police officers under Brough’s watch. They were two of the keen to purchase or hire the dogs, he took Barnaby within the Metropolitan Police. since the 15th Century, they were not a fixed part of breeder’s fastest hounds and were capable of back from Taunton, and the three returned to the force at the time of the Ripper murders. Instead, hunting “the clean shoe”, that is, following a their home in Scarborough. The news of the It wasn’t until the 1930s that the UK the police borrowed dogs from private owners when trail which wasn’t strongly marked in any way. If dogs’ removal was slow to reach everyone in the police force finally recognised the potential an extra snout was required for investigations, and it there were two dogs who may have had the skills police force, and the final embarrassment would of employing police dogs. However, was Sir Charles Warren’s intention to buy dogs that necessary to catch a cruel and clever murderer coincide with the discovery of the Ripper’s their initial introduction leaned towards could remain a part of the police department. It was such as Jack the Ripper, it was unlikely to find them rumoured final victim, Mary Jane Kelly. aggression rather than tailing, with attack with this in mind that he contacted Edwin Brough, a any more skilled than Burgho and Barnaby. dogs being introduced. Whilst bloodhounds silk manufacturer from Scarborough, who was also a Overwhelmed with the embarrassment are unquestionably the most skilled famous breeder of hounds – particularly well known The hounds proved their incredible abilities and slander the case garnered, Sir Charles trackers in the dog world, their gentle for his successes in tracking competitions around during a period of trials. In the early morning Warren resigned on 8th November 1888, just nature means they’re not much use at the country – founder of the Bloodhound Association, of Monday 8th October, Brough took the dogs to hours before Mary Jane Kelly’s murder. pinning down suspects once they’ve found Regent’s Park where they successfully tracked Authorities received news that Kelly’s body them. Following the Second World War, the a young man who had been granted a fifteen- had been spotted through the window police began to favour German shepherds, minute running start for almost a mile, despite of 13 Miller’s Court at 11.30am on 9th replacing the role of the bloodhound on the thick hoar frost that coated the ground. That November. Leading the investigation, the police force. However, no dog has night, Burgho and Barnaby were taken to Hyde Inspector Abberline recalled that no been able to capture the imagination – or Park where they were tasked with tracing another crime scenes were to be touched until replicate the astounding tracing ability man in the dead of night.
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