Ariégeois

The Ariégeois is a French breed of medium-sized scent hound from the département of Ariège in the Midi-Pyrenées region of southern France. It may have derived from cross-breeding of pack-hunting hounds such as the Grand Bleu de Gascogne or Grand Gascon-Saintongeois with local Briquet dogs. It hunts either alone or in a pack, and is used both as a courser and for driving game to waiting guns. While most successful with hares, it is also used for hunting deer and boar. It does not adapt well to urban life, and is not usually kept as a companion dog.