The Hurault family's passion for venery is as much a part of Cheverny as its painted ceilings. The kennels beside the château house over 120 English foxhounds maintained for the estate's working hunt, and the adjacent Trophy Room displays the antlers of more than 2,000 stags taken over the centuries — the collection is surprisingly affecting, a wall-to-wall record of the estate's long history that sits oddly against the château's refined French classicism.
Feeding time for the pack (la soupe des chiens) takes place each afternoon and is included in the château entry ticket. The dogs are well-trained but the enthusiasm with which they devour their meal is genuinely extraordinary to watch.