George Washington’s Dogs

 George Washington loved dogs and had some fifty dogs of many different breeds during his lifetime.  Breeds at Mount Vernon included Briards, Dalmatians, English foxhounds, French hounds, Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, mastiffs, Newfoundlands, pointers, spaniels and terriers.

Records show that Washington owned French hounds named Tipsy, Mopsey, Truelove, and Ragman.  He began to crossbreed the big French hounds with his own smaller native hounds to create a new breed of hound. The American Kennel Club recognizes Washington as the founder of the American foxhound.

Terriers were useful on the farm because they hunted and killed rats.  Washington used spaniels both to flush out land birds from their hiding places and to retrieve birds after they had been shot.

In 1786 Washington paid 12 shillings for a “coach dog” (a Dalmatian) named Madame Moose. In August 1787, he purchased a male coach dog to breed with her. He noted in his diary: “A new coach dog [arrived] for the benefit of Madame Moose; her amorous fits should therefore be attended to.”

Virginia Legends and Lore