Page 22 - PROTAGONIST 109
P. 22
PROTAGONIST / HIGH FIDELITY
Unless we want to end up descending from affection ward, so does he. And when it’s time for action, the hunter
into the depths of macabre obsession; a kind of be-
haviour animals, dogs first and foremost, have nev- unleashes the pack which trails the prey and shows its po-
er indulged in. There is proof, however, that they are used
in times of need. There is in fact a breed of hunting dog sition. “Because hunters should never leave wounded ani-
which, when the prey is wounded by the hunter, follows it
and brings it back. It is the “Hanover Hound” or Hannover- mals in their wake,” states Stefano Ricci, owner of the epony-
scher Schweisshund. It has extraordinary sense of smell
and powers of concentration, and is a breed which came mous Italian clothing house and major hunter of everything
about at the same time that big game hunting techniques
adapted when firearms were introduced. After centuries in from fowl to wild boar and big game. His Hanover Hound is
which the Jägerhof (hunting school) of Hannover has re-
fined the breed, today we have a medium-sized, well-pro- called Benito and is two and a half years old. As he strokes
portioned animal with a proud expression set in a slight-
ly wrinkled forehead. When his master takes one step for- him, he cuts straight to the chase: “When dogs follow blood
through forests and lead you on the trail of an animal, two
things can happen: the dog barks a way off and shows you
where the prey is, or the dog
attacks the wounded animal
} When the prey to finish it off. The latter is
is wounded, very dangerous, because in
the Hanover Hound the case of wild boar, the
is unleashed dog can come off worse.”
Stefano states that there are
two types of hunter-dog re-
lationships: the one for hunting pheasants, partridges
and above all woodcocks, where the hunter and dog are
one; and the type which is closely linked to the danger
the dog is exposed to, because where wild boar hunting
is concerned, it’s best not to get too attached. And it’s al-
so advisable to have more than one on the same hunt, be-
cause otherwise you can end up leaving yourself exposed.
“When you look a dog in the eyes,” Stefano continues,
“he expresses many types of feelings. One can be affec-
tion, another determination and another still aggression.
Each dog is like a human being, with its own distinguish-
ing characteristic: no two dogs from the same litter are
ever the same, be it in structure or in character.” On
his 600 hectare estate in Firenzuola, which he has named Po-
ggio ai Segugi after his hounds, half way between Bologna
and Florence in central-northern Italy, he has no less than
26 Segugio hounds from three different breeds. The Marem-
mano Tigrato is the one he likes most from the point of view
of morphology and colour. Technically speaking it is not a
breed, but it is the most generous dog there is in the world of
wild boar hunting: it never lets its prey go, it’s the first to at-
tack the animal and the first to die. This generosity and cour-
age make it even more heroic: it is a warrior. Then there are
the French Bleu de Gascogne and the Hanover Hounds. “As
far as the latter go,” Stefano Ricci concludes, “they are total-
ly devoted to their owners. They are always looking at their
master in hope he will give them some attention or orders
for things to do. Benito belongs to the business, but first and
foremost he belongs to my head huntsman, Roberto Bricco-
li. We’ve even seen “Ben” fighting in a river with a wound-
ed deer, above and below the water. They are so gentle with
their owners, and so aggressive when they do their work.”
Here above, Stefano Ricci, owner of the eponymous Italian world-renowned clothing brand, on his Italian estate FREDI MARCARINI
Poggio ai Segugi in Firenzuola, Tuscany region, with Benito, a two-and-a-half
year old Hanover Hound. These dogs have a calm methodical approach, self-control, courage and devotion.
22 PROTAGONIST / N. 109
