Chien - gris Information & Dog Breed Facts

The Chien-Gris, also known as the Grey Saint Louis Hound, is a now-extinct breed, which lived throughout all Western Europe and which is thought to be originated from the Medieval Times. Most state that the Chien-Gris was first called Canis Segusius, and bred by Gaulish tribes, who used to rule the land now known as Belgium.

Resembling the Chien de Saint-Hubert, the Chien-Gris was also a scent-hound. The breed was among the royal packs of the French monarchy, which were founded and composed from the 1250s, and it worked until the 1470s, consisting exclusively of these hound types. According to King Charles IX, the breed was introduced during the middle of the 16th century to the French through Saint Louis, who had encountered the breed while being a prisoner during the Crusades, and later received the dogs as a gift. Regarding the Chien-Gris origin story, old writers liked to describe the breed as an ancient and remote hound breed, which they claimed to be originated from Tartary. During the 16th century, Jacques du Fouilloux said that the breed was a very common one and that the dogs were ancestors of the modern French rough-coated Griffon breeds.

Nevertheless, this rough-coat exterior is only mentioned in a few records, thus its certainty is quite debatable. It is presumed that the rough coat was introduced later to the Chien-Gris, after including some indigenous French breeds into the breeding mix. The breed was considered to be one of the most successful hound breeds in its era, for the reason that the dogs were very determined in their pursuit of the quarry to the death. During King Louis’s reign, hunting became one of the most popular and influential sports in France, and frankly in all of Europe. Thanks to King Louis’s adamant for the breed, the Chien-Gris became one of the most popular and sought-after breeds at that time.

Later, breeders wanted to add extra layers to the hunting breeds’ coats in order to make them more water-repellent and to further protect the dogs from the swampy regions of the land, while also protecting their skins against animal attacks. The original theory is that the Canis Segusius was the original breed, which all the Griffon-type of breeds are descended from, just like the Chien-Gris. However, another theory stated that the Spinone Italiano was the original, less developed version of the Griffon, from which the Chien-Gris is descended, even though there is no historical evidence to boost this theory.

Later, towards the early 18th century, crossing the Chien-Gris with other breeds became very common, because Monks usually gave gifts to the royalty in the form of hunting dogs, which usually contained some Chien-Gris specimens. It was considered as a usual practice to cross the Chien-Gris with Bloodhounds, in order to make their senses keener and more perfect. Thanks to the nobility in France, the Chien-Gris became immensely popular throughout the country, which resulted in a plethora of mixed new breeds that are directly descended from the Chien-Gris, including the; Basset Fauve de Bretagne, the German Wirehaired Pointer, both Griffon Vendéens, the Otterhound, the Weimaraner, and many others.

Unfortunately, Chien-Gris’s late history is rather dark and very unsettling. The Chien-Gris’s popularity started to decline towards the late 17th century, as the gap grew in the French society’s classes. For the reason that the Chien-Gris was once a famous breed, bred by the richest classes, the poor people would slaughter them in their anger, and eat the dogs’ flesh to prove some kind of the sociological or political point, and also, to not die of hunger. Resembling many French breeds, the Chien-Gris was also a victim of the French Revolution, when hunting was considered to be self-indulgent in times of war. Moreover, as many cross breeds existed and were established at that point, the Chien-Gris’s homogeneity was not taken care of well, and breeders were only focusing on perfecting the newly developed breeds, and not preserving this majestic one. It is thought that the Chien-Gris went completely extinct by the middle of the 19th century.