Purina Points Event - Flora, Illinois is the place to be this weekend for the American Black & Tan Association's Annual Breed Days Event. It's one of those events we always look forward to. It's huge, the folks are first class and it's always a good time. Jessica Mc Clean and I plan on hitting the highway at the crack of dawn Thursday morning. It will take approximately seven hours of windshield time from Michigan to Charlie Brown Park on the edge of Flora. We invite everyone regardless of your favorite breed to come on over and join us. For those that can't makle the trip, Jessica will be taking all the photos and keep you updated each day right here on the Coonhound News Page!

AMERICAN BLACK & TAN COONHOUND Official U.K.C. Breed Standard Copyright 1989, United Kennel Club, Inc. Revised January 1, 2003 This standard was framed for the purpose of furnishing suggestions for breeding to the breeders in their aims toward improving the breed to higher ideals and to try and establish an international breed on this particular hound strain of bloodlines to look alike and to have a universal conformation. It will be noted that this standard has been in existence for more than 60 years and the hounds that we are following today are the result of the loyal, dedicated, hard work of those that have preceded us. History of the American Black & Tan Coonhound The Black & Tan is one of many tracking breeds that was developed in the south of the United States. The breed can trace its immediate ancestry to the American Foxhound and the Virginia Foxhound of colonial days, with probably the introduction of some Bloodhound stock. This latter would explain not only the coloration of the Black & Tan, but its tendency toward being larger-boned than other breeds, its long ears, and its famous cold nose. The American Black & Tan can probably be traced to the English Foxhounds, and before that to the Tolbot Hounds and St. Hubert hounds of France. These hounds were first brought to England following the Norman invasion in the 11th century. The American Black & Tan was the first coonhound breed to be admitted into registry with UKC. When they were first registered in 1900, and for several years after that, they were registered as American Black & Tan Fox & Coonhounds.