Dog breed

Talbot

Origin: not documented in our sources

The Talbot was a type of hunting hound common in England during the Middle Ages. It is depicted in art of the period as small to medium-sized, white in colour, with short legs, large powerful feet, a deep chest with a slender waist, long drooping ears, and a very long curled tail. It is shown in one well-known example at Haddon Hall with a fierce facial expression. It is now extinct, but is believed to be an ancestor of the modern Beagle and Bloodhound. It is uncertain whether it was a scenthound, a sighthound, or a dog used for digging out quarry, nor is it known what type of quarry it hunted, whether deer, fox, boar, etc.