Group: Hounds
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The Ariegeois, considered a medium-sized hound, was created by a series of crosses between the Briquet Hound and a hunting dog, and subsequently refined. The breed was virtually extinct until the Club Gaston Phoebus was formed in 1908 with the purpose of encouraging the breeding of the Braque and the Chien dAriege (Ariegeois).
The Ariege is a rocky, dry area in the south-west corner of France and since there is very little large game, the Ariegeois is predominantly used to hunt hare.
The standard for the breed was eventually codified by the Gaston Phoebus Club. DAubigne, an expert on French hound has noted: "[The Ariegeois] realm is in the southwest where he has been helped by the Gaston Pheoebus Club, organized from 1912 on pack trials at the Ceron Villa, which demonstrated the great qualities of the Ariegeois. His lack of renown is perhaps due to the fact that the Ariegeois in not regarded as a completely pure breed
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