Billy

The Billy is a large white French pack hound bred for deer and boar — named after a place, not a person, and one of the rarest of the French hound breeds.

History

It was created in the nineteenth century at the Château de Billy in Poitou by a huntsman who combined three older French hound strains, all now extinct, which makes the Billy the only surviving trace of them. The breed came close to disappearing twice, in each world war, and was rebuilt both times from a handful of dogs.

Temperament

The breed is known for being energetic and headstrong in the field and companionable outside it, sociable with other hounds from a life spent in packs. It has the pack hound's voice and uses it.

Care and training

It needs a great deal of exercise and secure ground; this is a hunting hound rather than a household dog, and recall competes with a scent it was bred to follow for hours. The short coat is easy to keep.

Health

No defect is widely documented as specific to the breed, which is partly a statement about how few dogs there are to study. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.