Introduction
Most of the dogs in the United States are originally from abroad. For instance, the Akita hails from Japan, the Pug from China, and the French Bulldog also known as the Borzoi from Russia. This leads to the question of whether there is an originally true American dog. The answer is yes, there is a truly American dog – Carolina Dog.
Origins of the Carolina dog
Owing to its appearance and looks seeing as the Carolina dog closely resembles the Australian dingo, the Carolina dog is referred to as the “American Dingo” or even the “Dixie Dingo” which is a play on its southern origins. The Carolina dog can still be found habiting the wild of the southern united states even though they have come to be loved and accepted as a pet by many dog lovers and owners in the country (Puisis, 2020).
Discovery of the Carolina dog
The specificity of the Carolina dog was not known up until the year 1917 when Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin while serving as an ecologist at the University of Georgia took notice of them. At the time, he was undertaking ecological studies and research on a site proximal to the Savannah River. His first deduction was that the dog could be a stray but on closer introspection, he found several other similar dogs in the area’s pound. It is the observations of Dr. Brisbin that led to the designation of the Carolina dog as a formal breed (Puisis, 2020). It is now possible to register Carolina dogs with the United Kennel Club and the American Rare Breed Association.
What distinguishes a Carolina dog?
Carolina dogs are notably similar in appearance to small jackals and wolves. They constitute a section of fewer breeds that are yet to be bred for specific traits. Instead, they have had their physical characteristics naturally evolve for them to survive in their environment.
The Carolina dog has characteristically tall and alert ears with a tail that bends in an upward curvature towards the back. The dog is physically slender in addition to being athletic spotting a nose that is medium to long. The head of the Carolina dog is slightly broad. Carolina dogs can be found in several colors including red ginger, black, tan, fawn, piebald, and buff.
The Carolina dog behaves coyly and suspiciously, the behavior that can be attributed to the fact that they have not been domesticated for that long or even bred. It is for this reason that the Carolina dog makes for a perfectly skilled guard dog. Additionally, the natural characteristics that the Carolina dog possesses make it a great and loyal companion (Puisis, 2020).
The Carolina dog: a great pet
Described as a pack dog, the Carolina dog adapts well to social groups with other dogs as well as human beings. Despite possessing the drive to hunt prey, they are overtly not aggressive as such and can undertake to bond and play with children comfortably. The Carolina dog is also intelligent and clean. The Carolina dog equally does not have a lot of the health problems and complications tied to the genetics of most dogs.
References
Puisis, E. (2020). Learn All About the Carolina Dog. Web.