Grand Fauve de Bretagne

intro

The Grand Fauve de Bretagne was a breed of scenthound from Brittany used to hunt wolves and wild boar . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] The Grand Fauve de Bretagne were large rough-coated hounds, their coats were short, dense and harsh, and they were a uniform pale golden-brown in colour. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Grand Fauve de Bretagnes were renowned for their unruly natures, being very difficult to control; their temperament suited them for hunting dangerous game like wolf and wild boar , but due to their unruliness they were also known to kill sheep and goats against their huntsman's wishes. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] The Fauve de Bretagne hounds were known in France from the 16th century, in 1520 Francis I of France was presented with a hound "Miraud" by the Breton Admiral Claude d'Annebault ; Francis subsequently kept a pack. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] In 1570, Charles IX of France in his La Chasse Royale listed the Fauve de Bretagne as one of the principal breeds of French hounds. [ 1 ] [ 3 ] With the extirpation of wolves from much of France in the mid-19th century these hounds became rare; by 1873 it was recorded that purebred examples were hard to find and it was believed only three packs retained the bloodlines; in subsequent decades the breed became extinct. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Some Grand Fauve de Bretagne hounds had been crossed with Briquet Griffon Vendéens to create the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne ; these smaller hounds retain much of the appearance of the Grand Fauve de Bretagne. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ]