TIBETAN MASTIFF
Recognized by AKC January 2007

The Tibetan Mastiff is a large, regal guardian breed whose history is hidden in the mists of legend, along with the people of the high Himalayan Mountains and the plains of Central Asia. Tibetan people believe that Tibetan Mastiffs have the souls of monks and nuns who were not good enough to be reincarnated into people or into the “heavenly realm.”

Accurate records of the genetic heritage of the Tibetan Mastiff are non-existent, but they are considered by many to be the basic stock from which most modern large working breeds, including all mastiffs and mountain dogs, have developed. Earliest written accounts place a large dog around 1100 BC in China.

Tibetan Mastiffs were traditionally kept tied to the gates of the house or monastery, or to stakes in nomad camps, but were let loose at night. The dogs defended the flocks of goats, sheep and yak, as well as the women and the children and homes and tents of their masters against predators such as wolves and snow leopards, as well as human intruders. They often were kept with Lhasa Apsos, which alerted them to the appearance of any stranger.

Tibetan Mastiffs are powerful, heavy and well-built dogs and of a solemn, but kindly, appearance. Males stand a minimum of 26 inches tall at the withers; females, 24 inches. They boast a heavy, double-coated coat with hair that is fine, but hard, straight and stand-offish. Acceptable colors are black, brown or blue/gray, with or without tan markings and various shades of gold. The Tibetan Mastiff keeps its double coat all year, blowing coat once a year, typically in spring/summer (depending on climate).

Tibetan Mastiffs have been used as a family and property guardian for many millennia and, as a result, are aloof and watchful of strangers and highly protective of their people and property. They are a highly intelligent breed, with the ability to adapt to a variety of functions, but it is a breed used to making its own decisions for thousands of years. Their close relationship with man has helped produce a disposition of controlled strength and fearlessness, tempered with patience and gentleness.

Read more about the Tibetan Mastiff.

PLOTT
Recognized by AKC January 2007

The Plott Hound is a truly American breed, having developed in the mountains of North Carolina to hunt bear and other large game.

The breed’s founder, Johannes George Plott, left Germany in 1750 and immigrated to America. He brought three brindle and two buckskin Hanoverian Hounds with him. This breed was used in Germany to track big game. It was known for its ability to locate a wounded animal when a track was a week or more old as German hunters’ honor code demanded all wounded or killed game must be found.

The 16-year-old Johannes settled in Bute County, N.C. He built a home, married, raised a family and bred his dogs. His son, Henry, continued the breeding program.

For the next seven generations (more than 200 years), the Plotts were mountain men who bred the family dogs and used them to hunt bear and occasionally boar. As the Plott men built homes and raised families all over the Smoky Mountains, their dogs became known by their family name and were referred to as the Plotts’ hounds.

During that time, hounds of similar type were raised by other mountain families and were likewise called Plotts.

After many generations, the Plotts needed some new blood. A breeder carefully chose another well-respected family hound – the tan, black-saddled Blevins - and made the cross. Two of the progeny were so exceptional that when bred back to pure Plotts, the breed was revitalized and paved the way for the modern-day Plott Hound.

As the fame of the Plotts spread, coon hunters began to take an interest in those with treeing instinct. The Plott began to be classified as a coonhound because there are more coon hunters in America than there are bear and boar hunters.

Male Plotts should stand from 20 to 25 inches high at the withers, with females being slightly smaller. Plotts come in striking colors of brindle (a streaked or striped pattern of dark hair imposed on a lighter background), but also can be solid black and occasionally buckskin. They are bold and fearless hunters and capable of quickly covering all types of terrain and water in all seasons. The Plott voice is distinguished by a loud, ringing chop when on the track. Plotts are eager to please, intelligent and alert.

Read more about the Plott.