Message #570404

[The Old Man]

You hit on a couple of points, the side of the debate that were opposed to the buckskin Plotts felt like it indicated Redbone. Someone may have put Redbone in them but not all buckskins are part redbone, they had always been part of the breed. And I have heard of solid blue dogs in the breed having some health issues.
 Back when all this disagreement came up there was a Plott "promoter" that opposed the buckskins because of the aforementioned reason but wanted "and eventually got" the UKC/NPHA standard changed for size and earspread as well, so he could promote some bloodhound crossed dogs, he wanted a bigger, longer eared, bawl mouthed Plott, when in fact lots of the old Plott people had always called them Plott Curs they weren't as a rule big houndy bawl mouthed dogs.
My own belief is that far enough back they probably had a  little of everything in them that had ever ran loose in the NC and Tenn. mountains, but there was a select group of people that bred and selected for "bear dogs that excelled on bear", with one another that certain traits were solidified and thus the "breed" was born.
 I believe the wide spread Plott history to be incorrect in part, but there were documented outcrosses as well before the registration began. Quite a few years ago the APA got with AKC and reinstated the original Plott breed standard and AKC went back to the "original" size and color standard. NPHA/UKC is the one now changing back to the old color standard but the size with them is not changing back.
 There's a short version of a battle that has lasted for generations within the breed and will probably continue for many years to come haha.