Harry Polos, age 8, of New Brunswick, New Jersey, for his question:

What exactly is a bloodhound?

The bloodhound is a famous tracker and years ago he often was trained as a police dog. Some people think that he was named a bloodhound because he goes after the blood of his victim.  This, however, is quite untrue. In fact, the bloodhound lost his job as a police dog because he tends to be gentle and friendly, even with dangerous criminals. He can sniff the scent of a fugitive from his footsteps and from the grass he brushes. He can lead police officers along the right trail. But when he catches up with the criminal, the bloodhound often just wants to befriend him. It is not easy to train him to help to make the arrest. To him, a criminal is likely to be just another human to love. The criminal does not have the same affection for him.

A bloodhound looks somewhat like a large beagle dog, though he has fewer wrinkles. He has floppy ears, a high forehead and very sad eyes. At one time, purebred dogs were called "blooded hounds" and this may explain how the bloodhound got his name. His family tree dates back 2,000 years.