Many lovers of classical literature and good cinema have probably thought more than once about what kind of dog the Baskervilles were like. Surely the legendary monster had a real prototype. The author of immortal works about the great detective did not mean exactly what most Russian-speaking readers and spectators represent today. Let's try to understand the issue by analyzing some facts.
Hound of the Baskervilles
Who was the Baskervilles dog? The dog breed in the book is definitely not indicated even once, however, Arthur Conan Doyle left us some clues. It is generally accepted that when describing a monster scaring horror in the vicinity, he had in mind either a mastiff or a snoop (hound). But if you carefully read the text, it becomes clear that the author, most likely, spoke of a half-breed half-breed, in which there are features of both breeds. Thus, we understand that the famous beast is half mastiff, half bloodhound. At the same time, the dog is described as very large (more than representatives of the breeds), which theoretically could have taken place.
Translation inaccuracies
Where did the disagreement come from and why do many admirers of Arthur Conan Doyle's work have questions about the breed of the Baskervilles? Let's not forget about the language barrier. In the original work you can find the word hound , which is translated into Russian as "hound" or "snoop". But in English its meaning is much broader. Firstly, this word is often included in the names of various breeds (Basset Hound, Bloodhood), and secondly, in a broad sense, it is synonymous with the word "dog".
The translators did not mention the hounds and cops, but chose this particular translation option. That's how we got from the time of the first Russian-language publication not a specific breed, but the name "Hound of the Baskervilles" - so capacious and abstract at the same time.
Bloodhound and Mastiff
Professional dog breeders also help shed light on the mystery. A half-breed, whose parents are mastiff and bloodhound, is a rather rare dog.
However, some classifiers even distinguish it in a separate breed, called the Cuban (Brazilian) sound or Stapleton's dog. Frankly bloody words were assigned to this beast, and the matter is not only in the triplet “blood” (from the English “blood”). These large dogs were once raised aggressive and cruel, to be used for military purposes, as well as to suppress uprisings, capture fugitive slaves and convicts. Judging by the few cases described in the sources, very few managed to escape from the terrible chase.
Nowadays, the need for such a formidable dog has disappeared. Intentional mating of mastiffs with bloodhounds is a one-time character. But the real existence of hybrids only confirms the version that the breed of the Hound of the Baskervilles is not at all a mastiff and not a bloodhound. The author had in mind precisely a cross.
It is worth mentioning that in those days in which the events of the book unfold, the bloodhounds were long described in the classifiers, and the mastiff was considered a completely new and fashionable breed. Perhaps the author wanted to beat this contrast as well.
Curiosities on the set of the legendary film
When the Soviet filmmakers had a question about what kind of dog the Baskervilles would be, they had to face many difficulties.
The black dog, pasted over with a reflective film and shot on a background of black velvet, looked like a funny thin skeleton on the film. There was no talk of phosphorus coating (not a single animal would allow it to be done with it). They even considered the idea of starring a calf! And someone suggested ... a Pekingese mutilated by scars in fights.
As a result, the film crew settled on sewing masks and vests for the dog artist. And the Hound of the Baskervilles did not play mastiff and bloodhound, and certainly not their mestizo. In the role they shot the Great Dane - a large dog with a terrifying look, but at the same time peaceful and smart.
The film crew recalls a lot of curiosities. The cunning dog did not run into the light (and it was necessary for retroreflectors), avoided obstacles, stood on its paws when it was necessary to fall. And once a dog right along with a box ate Solomin's birthday cake. But the artists speak very warmly about this dog, which on the set managed to fall in love with the whole group.
Today we know what breed of dog is in the movie "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (USSR, 1981). But this gave rise to another misconception, because many believe that according to the book she was also a dog. In other films, in the title role they shot various large dogs, sometimes even shaggy, and not smooth-haired.
However, fans of the Sherlock Holmes story are accustomed to seeing the monster exactly as the Baskervilles dog, and the lack of accurate identification does not prevent us from admiring the amazing monster every time it appears in the frame or on the book page.