Wildly different origins made two incredibly awesome breeds :)
History
In 1539, when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto landed in Florida and began his expedition through the Southeastern United States, his scribes noted there was only one species of domestic animal in North America: the Native American’s dog, who looked like a wolf but barked like a dog. These native dogs were crossed with the “bloodhounds, mastiffs, and greyhounds” brought by the Spanish explorers. In Northern Louisiana, the Native Americans called these new dogs “Wolf Dogs.” Once the French arrived with their hounds, they were crossbred again, resulting in today’s Catahoula Leopard Dog.
How the Catahoula obtained his working instincts is another story: The early settlers of Central Louisiana, specifically the Catahoula Lake area, used these crossbred dogs to pen and catch the wild hogs and cows that were rampant in the area, and this practice turned into a planned method of managing the wild herds. The Catahoula developed a unique way of working the stock that sets them apart from other herding and working breeds; they create a “canine fence” around the herd, and within this “fence,” the wild herd is directed by the dog’s master. This natural working instinct is of the utmost importance to Catahoula Leopard Dog breeders. Regardless of appearance, he must have these working instincts to be a pure Catahoula.
I don’t understand why the idiot AKC calls them “coon hounds” when they were created for bear and boar.
https://puppytoob.com/plott-hound/
Either way, both dogs are magnificent!
This is just my opinion but breeds like the Catahoula and the Feist that were created by mixing compatible breeds together to get the best traits from them make some of the best dogs we have now that are called “breeds”. The genetic mixing, when done properly, draws the best traits while eliminating the worst traits. That was done a lot in the past.
The designer dogs of today aren’t always well planned and result in a new “breed” that has physical and other issues.
IMO, you can’t beat a good old hound or Feist type dog like a Jack Russell or a Rat Terrier. I have had a Bloodhound, a Bluetick, two Black Mouth Cur/ferals, a Jack Russell, two Catahoulas, and a Redbone. Can’t beat a good hunting dog.