Westminster Bloodhound: A Champion TV Dog

Part of the reason Hansen and his wife Kimberly are so eager to continue Credo’s TV dog career is because he’s a great ambassador for the Bloodhound breed. “He’s a complete softy,” Hansen says. Bloodhounds are known for being gentle and affectionate at home, and tireless when tracking a scent. It’s this second part that can make them hard to train as puppies, but Hansen says Credo was a breeze.

“Even when he was just 9-months-old I could take him fishing and he’d stay right by my side on the hike, then sit next to me patiently while I fished.” And he loves swimming.

Bloodhounds have webbed feet, so they’re predisposed to the water, but Credo takes it to a new level. “He loves the water even more than a Lab does,” Hansen says.

So far Credo, whose show name is Grand Champion Quiet Creek’s Windfall, has been filmed for the TV show The Mentalist. “But we’re not sure if his scene ever aired,” says Hansen, holding his brand new Westminster Kennel Club dog show ribbon.

Credo, who is 5-years-old and has been showing regularly for the past two years, won Best of Breed at the Westminster Monday afternoon, against a handful of other impressive Bloodhounds.

“This is more than we hoped for,” says Hansen. He and his wife were originally worried Credo might not like showing. “He’s afraid of everything, so we weren’t sure he’d like the crowd.” But he does. Like any scenthound, Credo relishes having a job to do—in this case pleasing his handler, Douglas A. Carlson, and strutting in front of a rapt audience.

These are all great qualities for a TV dog as well. “But if this keeps up,” Hansen says, holding the ribbon high, “acting might have to wait.”

For more on Bloodhounds:

• Bloodhound Video Profile
• Slideshow: The Bloodhounds of Westminster
• Bloodhound Breed Profile