Ode to the Coonhound

Obviously, everyone that reads my blog knows that I am a pug man. Or, in ACT/SAT terms, pug is to dog, as thoroughbred is to horse. Even though my dog of choice is the pug, I am still able to appreciate some other breeds. Now, as a kid from the foothills of Appalachia, I remember plenty of people raising and training coonhounds. Coonhounds, or coon dogs, are named for the racoons that they commonly hunt. To train a coonhound to hunt a raccoon requires lots of time and patience from owner and dog alike. If successful, the bond between coon dog and owner is like no other. So, this is my ode to the Coonhound.

First, lets make sure you know what a coonhound looks like. Here are several varieties. The picture above right is the black and tan coonhound. Pictured below are the bluetick coonhound on the left, and the redbone coonhound to the right.

Then, lets start with some basics on hunting with coonhounds. First, you release the dog into the woods during the dead of night. When the dog catches the scent of a racoon (known as a “strike”), the dog then barks rapidly as he/she chases the racoon. Eventually, the racoon will climb a tree to escape the coonhound. At that point, the racoon is “treed” and the dog remains at the bottom of the tree. The bark becomes an upward, baying bark signaling that the racoon is up a tree. Then, you follow the bark. Move to your dog. Spot the racoon in the tree by shining a light on his red, beady eyes. Lastly, you shoot the racoon with a tranquilizer dart and humanely relocate him to a pleasant racoon sanctuary in the country. Yeah, that’s how its done.

The point to all that is to try to give you some feel of the commitment and skill required to hunt with coonhounds. Further, there are even national competitions where dogs can earn credentials for their hunting prowess. With all the training, competitions, and cold nights in the woods, owner and coonhound develop a unique bond. Coonhound owners CHERISH their dogs. And, I can find no better demonstration of owner love than the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard, located in no where, Alabama.

The Coon Dog Cemetery is located somewhere in the woods of Colbert county Alabama. The cemetery was established by Key Underwood in 1937 when he buried his coonhound, Troop. To this day, this Coon Dog cemetery remains the only operating cemetery dedicated to one breed of dog. During an interview, Mr. Underwood once said, “You must not know much about coon hunters and their dogs, if you think we would contaminate this burial place with poodles and lap dogs.” The man was serious about his coonhounds. Several layers of coonhound validation are necessary to bury your coonhound here. After you have triple proved its a genuine coonhound, how you honor your coonhound is completely open…

Approximately, a 100 or so coonhounds are buried in the cemetery. But, there are 2 headstones that get the majority of attention.

As I have already mentioned, Mr. Underwood started this cemetery by burying “Troop” in 1937. Additionally, there is also one pseudo celebrity in the cemetery. Have you ever been forced to watch Reese Witherspoon in the movie, “Sweet Home Alabama?” Well, she was from Alabama and had a beloved coonhound. Her coonhound died while she was galivanting about New York City. When she returned to Alabama, she visited her dog, “Bear,” in the coonhound cemetery near her town. Regrettably, the movie producers choose to recreate the cemetery and the head stone, rather than using the real thing. But, pathetic fans of the movie can pay their respects to the real Bear at this cemetery.

I highly doubt that any of my readers will be fortunate enough to ever visit this cemetery. But, that’s OK. I will travel to these remote locations where few dare to go (or perhaps have no desire to go). I found this scenic cemetery to be well worth the drive. It gave me the opportunity to give you this ode to the coonhound. Furthermore, while the cemetery is not close to any incorporated city, it is close to the Rattlesnake Saloon. A Coonhound Cemetery and the Rattlesnake saloon…it doesn’t get any better than that. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed reading “Ode to the Coonhound” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

The cemetery is only a 15 minute drive from the Rattlesnake Saloon https://travelingwithpt.com/hanging-at-the-rattlesnake/

If you need to burial information for your coonhound https://www.coondogcemetery.com/