Did Carolina Dogs Arrive With Ancient Americans?

National Geographic ^ | March 11, 2003 | Brian Handwerk

[RegulatorCountry]

Humans and dogs enjoy a prehistoric relationship, a longstanding bond with its origins in a time when dogs as we know them evolved from wild animals into our domesticated companions.

Now, a canine living in a manner similar to that of dogs from those ancient days may have been discovered in isolated stretches of longleaf pines and cypress swamps in the American Southeast.

The Carolina Dog, a familiar-looking animal long known in the rural South as the "yaller dog," may be more than the common mutt that immediately meets the eye. I. Lehr Brisbin, Jr., Senior Ecologist at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab, believes that these animals may be America's most primitive dogs.

[blam]

Dixie Dingo - Carolina Dog

[colorcountry]

The picture posted there reminded me of the canaan dog of the Middle East (Israel). Their resemblence is like most feral dogs.

[LongElegantLegs]

Dog ping

[Tijeras_Slim]

Looks very similar to the New Guinea Singing Dog. I think the ancient breeds are fascinating. Got a couple of Basenjis, myself.

[HOTTIEBOY]

I don't know about all that but this here sure is a good ole boy, I tell you what...

[blam]

Dixie Dingo - Carolina Dog

[colorcountry]

Feral dogs are beautiful.

Canis Lupis Dingo

[blam]

Dixie Dingo - Carolina Dog

FReeper Sentis has some Carolina Dogs and some great pictures. I'll ping him/her over here.

[warchild9]

Back home we call them "jackals," because of their similarity the dogs kept by Africans (the ones who still live in the dirt). You know, yellow coat, curly tail, busy busy busy. They make great pets, by the way.

[warchild9]

Back home we call them "jackals," because of their similarity the dogs kept by Africans (the ones who still live in the dirt). You know, yellow coat, curly tail, busy busy busy. They make great pets, by the way.

[warchild9]

Please forgive the double post

[RegulatorCountry]

Where is "back home" for you?

[RegulatorCountry]

Just a big ole sweetie, lol.

[nuke rocketeer]

"These include hunting snakes in an effective pack formation and dispatching by cracking them, whip-like, into the air."

A mutt we owned (or owned us) when I was a kid killed rattlesnakes in just this fashion. It made for hours of amusement in the boonies of West Texas.

[RegulatorCountry]

As a kid, I had a Dachshund (!) that was quite the effective snake hunter, until a copperhead got him right on the nose. The venom went straight to his brain and he died in my arms in the back seat of my parents' car, on the way to the vet. He was one heck of a dog, very brave. No sense of proportion whatsoever, would jump on a Great Dane if it came into "his" yard. He wasn't much with strangers, but he loved, and I mean loved, his people. I still miss him, it's been 30 years.

[Awestruck]

funny but the first dog I can remember chasing me (not in a happy way) was a standard poodle..

but when I think of the most vicious dogs I think of Chows.. they aren't safe to have around children or smaller animals..

[Awestruck]

I've had two dachshunds.. the first one was tough.. she survived being poisoned then kicked in the ribs by an evil old man... lived til 13 when she was run over by a tractor she was sleeping under..

The one I have now couldn't find a hot piece of bacon if you put it in front of her nose... worst smell hound ever! But she's a great snuggle dog.

[colorcountry]

I read that chows were bred for food....to be eaten. I guess I might have a vicious temperment if I thought I might wind up on your dinner plate.

[Awestruck]

I almost forgot.. I do have some happy memories of a standard poodle... I keep forgetting my grandpa's dog was a standard... never thought of him as a poodle because his hair was never cut.. he was a big shaggy chocolate brown goofball.. My grandpa gave him pancakes at the table on his birthday... his name was Bear.

[Sentis]

My Carolina Dogs http://midgardproject.org/carolina.htm

Two years ago I moved to Georgia near Ft Stewart and pretty much in the middle of a swamp. About six months ago we were burning some trash and noticed that a dog came out of the woods went right into the fire and started picking out trash to eat from the middle of the fire. She must have been very hungry to do that and so we started leaving out food for her. Before long she started staying at the house full time. A friend of mine on seeing her said the dog looked like a dingo as she had ears that stood up all the time and had a hooked tail. I decided to find out if this dog was austrailian and I came on the carolina dog site. That was surprising she looked just like those dogs. Well not long after she showed up she went into heat and another one of these dogs shows up from out of the woods but he was alot shyer and never stayed around. Needless to say she had puppies with another of these dogs that came out of the woods. Jane Gunnell (I think she is president of the Carolina dog association) came and looked at the mother and believes her to be a full Carolina dog. I think the puppies are probably about 3/4th (we don;t know that much about the father dog) I do have three of the puppies still up for adoption (for free). And yes there are black and white Carolina dogs (not just yellow)