The Original Hound Dog brand was founded in 1967 by Rudy and Emile Dopyera as a stop gap for the period 1967-1970 when the Doperya family did not have control of the Dobro brand name. The Dopyera family had invented the resophonic guitar back in 1928. Their Original Musical Instrument company (OMI) built Original Hound Dog branded resophonic guitars in Long Beach, California until they regained the Dobro brand name in 1970 and stopped using the Original Hound Dog brand. When Gibson bought Dobro in 1993 they resurrected the Hound Dog brand for a line of more affordable American and Chinese made resonator guitars.

Source: Gibson Hound Dog press release. Wednesday, November 6th, 2002.