Posted on 11/30/2001 1:40:40 PM PST by blam
"The Dixie Dingo"
"The Native American Dog" "The American Dingo" " Southern Aboriginal Dog" "The Indian's Dog"
Still living Wild in the bottom land swamps and forests of the Southeastern United States.
Genetic (mitochondrial DNA) testing being performed at the University of South Carolina, College of Science and Mathematics, indicates that these dogs, related to the earliest domesticated dogs, are the remnant descendants of the feral pariah canids who came across the Bering land mass 8,000 to 11,000 years ago as hunting companions to the ancestors of the Native Americans.
However, their future in the wild looks bleak. Loss of habitat and competition from introduced species such as the coyote are driving these unique dogs to the brink of extinction.
The Carolina Dogs make gentle pets, winning show dogs, and good hunting/hiking companions - even when wild caught. They are willing, smart and never aggressive towards humans - alerting you to possible danger by standing at a distance and sounding a warning bark.
The same characteristics that have allowed them to survive for centuries in the wild are the same traits that make them perfect house pets: intelligent with a strong "pack" mentality that makes them biddable and submissive to their human "leader of the pack", healthy, clean (easily house broken with a desire to keep their denning area free of odor) with minimal scent (lack of smell ensured successful hunting and lack of discovery by larger predators).
Read on and see how you can participate in saving these unique dogs by becoming a member of the Carolina Dog Association, by contributing to the USC DNA research fund, or, if your circumstances permit, by owning a member of this great breed.
Great post, thank you! I am on the board of the local humane society & was on the square at 5:15 this morning for our 5 K fundraiser. I don’t trust people who don’t love animals.
Oh, good boy!
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