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The Spaniards, led by De Soto, came down the Mississippi River and brought dogs of war with them that were used to attack hostile Indians. These dogs were probably descendants of the Mastiff breed or Wolfhounds. When the Spaniards moved out, a lot of the dogs were left behind, and many of the Indians who feared these dogs took them in and used them for hunting. |
The Indians
The name Catahoula comes from the Choctaw words "okhata" meaning lake, and "hullo", beloved. Some of the Indians would use these dogs for hunting and tracking, and loved them so much that some burial sites of the Indians also contained the remains of their dogs. |
The French
Later some of the French settlers brought a spotted dog called the Beauceron, a boar hunter, which is believed to give the Catahoula its unique leopard markings. The French bred the Beauceron with the native hunting dogs in order to create a more versatile dog. The dogs then interbred with each other and with the native red wolf to create the Catahoula Leopard dog. |
They would tree raccoons, whose fur could be sold, and flush out wild boar as a food source for the natives in the area.
Today
There have been search and rescue Catahoulas that have tracked the scents of missing children, people fallen overboard into the water, and even identified the murder weapon in a murder trial.
The dogs are very aggressive workers and can herd feral pigs from places that would be hard for a man to go, and round them into an enclosure with the aid of two or three other Catahoulas.
About the Breed
The eyes are usually two different colors, from amber to glassy blue. The eyes can even be "cracked", or have two different colors in the same eye. The dogs with a lot of white to their coats and glassy eyes are prone to be partially or totally deaf. |
The females are between 55-70 pounds and the males between 60-90 pounds.
They have short, dense coats which help repel water and protect them from the brush, and have strong, sturdy frames.
Loyal and Stubborn Dogs
State Dog of Louisiana
In 1979 Governor Edwin Edwards signed a bill making the Catahoula Leopard dog the official state dog of Louisiana. The National Association of Louisiana Catahoulas is based in Denham Springs, LA and is the official registry of the breed, since this breed is not AKC recognized. |
http://www.eatel.net/~wahya/dog.html
http://www.catahoulaleopard.com/homepg.htm
http://www.thebreedsofdogs.com/CATAHOULA LEOPARD DOG.htm
http://www.sidyboysfoolin.com/Catahoula.html
http://www.wyoag.com/Ingalls/dogs.htm
http://www.catahoulas.com/
http:/ /www.dogbreedinfo.com/catahoula.htm
http://www.catahoulas.org/catahoula.htm
http://www.centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/mammals/dogs/DOG309l .shtml
http://www.louisianasongs.com/song09.htm
http://www.ukcdogs.com/breeds/herdingdogs/louisianacatahoulaleoparddog.std.sh tml
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http://www.sec.state.la.us/around/facts/facts-E.htm
http://www.gov.state.Ia.us/kids/symbols.htm
http://www.senate.gov/~breaux/kids symbols.html
http://www.beautifulunitedstates.com/louisiana symbols.htm
That's my baby
Wonderful breed! I cannot say enough about how great they are!! Completely stolen my heart ❤
I rescued a Catahoula Leopard Dog from a family that had young children, I got him as a puppy, he was too much for the family and they had to get rid of him. I am a lover of Australian Shepards and have had mixed and pure bred Aussies. I thought this dog might be an Aussie Mix. Boy was I wrong. This dog is as smart as Aussies but hard headed and independent. We battled over everything food following instructions you name it, it was not easy and jump and bounce around this dog has a hard time being still. The dog knocks around his food bowl when he is hungry and his water bowl when he is thirsty, and will drive me crazy when he needs to get outside and do his business. But after two and a half years we are adjusting,He stays in the house when I go out and does not tear up the place and waits for me to get home to let him out to do his business. He now follows directions very well. He is driven by his nose and is very distracted by any action, I have to take him out on a leash or he will run off. But he does very well while on a leash, and follows instructions in the house very well. I think these dogs are a lot of hard work, but I believe it will be worth it, We have come a long way and still have a way to go. Marco is a loving animal who enjoys play and affection, he is very protective but once introduced is very interested in people he still gets excited at first contact but seems to be slowly getting more socialized.
They sure are everything you say .A lot of work but definitely worth it.Mine too is a rescue ,had a lot of issues but slowly came around.I wouldn't dare let him off leash for we have a lot of wildlife around.Doesn't do well with dogs he doesn't know so our circle is small.We do a lot of scent work and games to mentally drain him.It's a good thing he's handsome too,quite the character!
I just, 1 month ago, moved into this apartment. Previous we lived in the country on 4 acres and a one acre pond. She had plenty time to sew her oats and discover other wild life. Now she listened to me and lates by my side when I’m outside on my wheelchair. Most of the residents here are impressed and love petting her. LULU loves the attention.
I seem to recall an article about Indian mounds being found in Cathoula Parish, Louisiana. There were bones of a male human and a dog buried with him. The man was Choctaw and the dog, Catahoula. The age testing put both bones at late BC or early AD. DID YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.
Thank You.
HUBIE Martello
Hi I am from big island Hawaii I would like to know how much your hog dog is u can call me at (808)494-5430 thank u so much hope to hear from you
Are you looking for hog dogs? A friend of mine has several pups about 2 months to 10 weeks old. They are put and staffordshire and CATAHOULA cross, and bully and CATAHOULA
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