History, Care Tips, and Helpful Information for Pet Owners The Plott hound is a medium-large hound dog breed from the United States with a short, shiny coat that’s typically brindle.

3. Greyhound ginastancel/getty Images A greyhound is guaranteed to outrun all the other pups at the park. These graceful hounds have coats in various shades of brindle, including blue brindle, red ...

A dog’s genetics determine if it will have a brindle coat. To be brindle, a dog must carry one or two copies of the brindle geneand only certain breeds carry this gene at all.

This is a category of dog breed that includes Mastiffs, Bulldogs, Boxers and some terriers—mainly, breeds known for their distinctly wide chests, large size and toned, muscled legs.

Plott Hounds have been the state dog of North Carolina since 1989, and probably no other dog deserves that distinction as much as the Plotts, given their history.

Dog supply website Pawstruck compiled a list of all 12 state dog breeds and some of the stories behind them. In North Carolina, the official breed is the Plott Hound, chosen in 1989.