More: Winnie, an Otterhound, lived to be a ripe 13 1/2 years old when she passed. She had the funniest sense of humor, was a gentle giant who loved being around people, young children and other pets, and absolutely loved tracking outside...whether it was man or beast. She knew every step that someone or something took! She would race around at warp speed tracking with her incredible nose, and letting me know, with her beautify bay-of-a-voice, that she's 'on it'!!! Otterhounds have an incredible sense of smell and were originally bred in England to hunt otters. Their rough double coat assisted them when they were in the rivers, hunting. They are a rare canine, even more rare than a panda bear, and numbering less than 1000 in the world. Otterhounds have a truly remarkable voice and one of the typical qualities of the Otterhound in the late 1800's was that, when the Otterhound detected the scent of an otter on the trail, it would sit down on its haunches and begin to bay its long, low, melodious voice. The Otterhound was originally bred for hunting but has adapted to becoming a great family pet.