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The King's White Hound was an extinct French breed of hound. This breed was renowned for being a favorite of the French kings, from Louis XI to Louis XIV. The King's White Hound was a royal pack of hounds used by the French kings from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Known for their immaculate white coat, their speed, and their hunting prowess, particularly for deer and wild boar, these dogs descended from a white Bloodhound given as a gift in 1470. They were later crossed with Italian Pointers and local breeds, becoming a symbol of royal hunts until their dissolution in 1725. An exceptional hunter, it was crossed with the existing royal pack.
In 1500, Louis XII introduced Italian Pointer blood, and Francis I added a "Breton dog" (probably a Grand Fauve de Bretagne) in 1520. These two crossbreedings helped strengthen the line, which had suffered from inbreeding. The dogs were often passed from one royal court to another, and the King's White Dog was no exception. Mary Stuart gave Francis II a white dog in 1560, and Henry IV sent James I of England an entire pack as a gift. Louis XIV was perhaps their greatest enthusiast, and the last. He proudly displayed them on his hunts, and, growing old and no longer able to keep up with their pace, he added Norman dogs to slow them down rather than abandon them. It seems that the decline of the King's White Dog began after the reign of his son. When Louis XV opted for a pack based on Foxhound crosses, the remaining dogs were dispersed in 1725. Before their extinction, they contributed to modern Vendée breeds, the Porcelaine and, through the extinct Céris, the Billy.
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English (United Kingdom) 
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