No one guessed the mystery dogs yesterday! Though several of you guessed exactly the way I would have. Saturday I met two American Leopard Curs, Sam and Blue. I can’t tell you which is which, but here’s one of the beautiful boys:
And the other:
I’m going to give you a little history on these specific American Leopard Curs, then walk through a brief history of the breed, then we’ll discuss whether or not the American Leopard Cur is the dog for you. We already know that these two love Jones Natural Chews taffies. 😉
Their owner, Dana, says this about Sam and Blue:
[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]These are working dogs – they want an animal to chase up a tree not kisses. I bought them from a breeder in California who runs bear and mt lion with his. These are trained for coons and bobcat.[/quote]
In regard to American Leopard Curs in general, Dana says this:
[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]These type of dogs love to please their owner. They are incredible dogs. They were the dogs mountain men had. The story Old Yeller was actually about a Mt Cur. (even though they used a yellow lab in the movie) These are American Leopard Curs, the only cur that will open up on a trail like a coon dog.[/quote]
This was all part of a Facebook conversation this weekend. Someone asked what “open up” means. Here’s the response:
[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]They start barking – not a chop bark like a regular dog but the deep BAWL sound of a coon dog. Actually only Sam opens up full bawl mouthed as the old time coon dog hunters call it. Blue is silent and lets Sam do all his yelling for him but Blue has a better cold nose than Sam. … opening on trail means when they start barking when they find a fresh scent of coon and bobcat.[/quote]
How fascinating is that?!? Wanna see them in action? Well, a brief explanation of how Dana works with Sam and Blue, and what makes them different from other hounds.
Now, a little more breed info?
- The American Leopard Cur (ALC) is a unique tree dog – its desire to please its master is stronger than its need to follow its nose, unlike nearly every other hound dog out there
- This dog is bred, and can be trained, to follow game large and small
- The ALC is determined when following a trail, deterred only by its master’s voice, and will go so far as to fight the prey in order not to lose it
- This is a tough breed, with a tough body and tough feet
- One of the most intelligent of hounds, a class which is not prized for its intelligence, but for its nose and stamina – smarter than your average cur
The long and short of it is, unless you hunt, this probably isn’t the dog for you. Hunting dogs are sweet and big and beautiful. And bred specifically to hunt. Especially the American Leopard Cur.
And what would they like as treats? They’ve proven that they’ll snarf down the Beef Liver Taffy and Chicken Taffy from Jones, as well as the Sausage Sticks. I’m thinking just about anything. Jones doesn’t carry any mamby-pamby treats. They respect dogs and understand that even the cutest, smallest, most fragile SEEMING dog is, under it all, still a dog. Meat and bones for dogs! Yeah!
Thanks for hanging in there today! I’ve enjoyed learning about the American Leopard Cur right along with you. And come back tomorrow when I reveal the winner of the adorable Darla Jane accessory!
Until I write again …
Flea
