Famous Hound Dogs

The old cliche says that dogs are man's best friend. The hound dog is renowned for its loyal and steadfast nature. There are a number of famous hound dogs in all areas of our culture, from history to pop culture and from television to odd-ball trivia. These hound dogs are sometimes noble, sometimes entertaining, but always lovable.

  1. George Washington's Hounds

    • Some of the first famous hounds were owned by George Washington. President Washington owned 12 hound dogs by the names of Drunkard, Mopsey, Taster, Cloe, Tipsy, Tipler, Forester, Captain, Lady Rover, Vulcan, Sweetlips and Searcher. A hobby breeder, George Washington is reputed to have been the originator of the American Foxhound, a cross between black-and-tan hounds he owned with French hounds given to him as a present by the Marquis de Lafayette. According to "First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Best Friends," George Washington is reported to have owned over 20 additional hounds.

    Flash

    • Flash was the name of the fictional basset hound owned by Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on the television show "The Dukes of Hazzard." Introduced at the beginning of the third season, Flash was portrayed by several real-life basset hounds, though the leading lady was a dog named Sandy, originally found abandoned in a dog shelter. Though Sandy died at the ripe old age of 14, the character she portrayed remains firmly embedded in American television pop culture.

    Velvet

    • Hush Puppies shoe company made its world debut in 1957, according to the company's website. By 1963, one out of every 10 adults in the United States owned a pair of the company's shoes. Their popularity may have been due in part to the lovable face that advertised the shoes, a soulful basset hound named Velvet. Owned by the national sales director of Greb Industires, the original parent company of Hush Puppies, Velvet and her sister Jasmine were the embodiment of the marketing strategy employed by the company. Velvet and Jasmine disappeared in 1973, which caused a media storm of public outrage rarely seen over missing pets. Jasmine's body was recovered, though Velvet was never found.

    Boomer

    • The story of Boomer is well known to fans of kitschy roadside American trivia. Hailing from Makanda, Illinois, Boomer was a three-legged hound. Owned by a train engineer in the 1950s, he died attempting to save his owner's life, according to "Oddball Illinois." In an attempt to warn his owner, the brave hound died while chasing a train that had caught fire. He ran into a part of a train bridge and is buried a few hundred yards from the spot of the accident, commemorated with a large plaque telling his story.