The Carolina Dog-The American Dingo?

[Elizabeth Haigler]

I was told my rescued puppy was a Carolina Dog. Does anyone else have one? How are they with you?

[Leslie Luebbers]

Elizabeth,
She looks like one. I'd just go with it. The book by Jane Gunnell is about her experience trying to preserve the breed--and about their unique social characteristics. I fostered 3 of a litter of 7 puppies found in the wild near Memphis. The rescuer thought they had been dumped by the roadside (which happens depressingly often in the South), but realized that a pack was watching from the woods as she put them in her car. Probably the pack had been foraging by the road--that's why they are called pariah dogs--and the puppies were too young to know to run away when the car stopped. The foster group called them lab/shep/terrier mixes, but I thought they were too distinctive to be mutts and went through a jillion dog breed sites until I stumbled on the Carolina Dog/Dingo site and all was revealed! I contacted Jane Gunnell, and she asked about getting them to strengthen the gene pool, but rescue groups HATE breeders, so that was that. They were all adopted to very happy families.

I've become a American Dingo nut. I do believe the pure ones are rare, because the pariah dogs easily assimilate with people and their pets. It's very easy to find ones in shelters or in homes with appropriate ears, fur, tails or tails, but not all traits or others that don't quite have the right face and body type,for example, too wide, too big, too uniform in color--or too colorful, too short-legged or otherwise out of the ideal proportions--which are very rectangular, slender and finely drawn. Of course, like any breed the individuals are quite variable, but if you look at enough of them, you develop an eye for the things that don't fit.

Of our three, I kept Quincy, because he is most classic and looks exactly like Leah and his behavior is exactly right. He gets along with all of our pets--who don't necessarily get along with each other. We haven't socialized him out of the house enough, so he gets nervous away from our property or when we have workers around. Somehow guests are OK. Our fault--we have to do better with that. An example of dog diplomacy--It took about a month for him to sleep in the bedroom, which he really wanted, because he seemed to know that it is the place where competition for space near the humans can get really nasty. He stood in the door night after night at bedtime, then went back; then for many days took a couple of steps in and retreated, then a little more and more over days and days until he was in the bed. The last dog that tried to take a spot on the bed got a bloody beating by Grace, the pack leader, who sleeps at the foot. Not Quincy. None of the others raised an eyebrow, and now he sleeps between me and my husband. Grace is completely cool about it. They snuggle sometimes and give little kisses.

He is quite a serious guy; he outgrew puppyish stuff quickly. He's barely a year, and now when we foster puppies, he is sweet to them, but not really interested in goofyness. He's much more interested in hunting the bugs, birds and squirrels in our back yard than tumbling and narfing. He's a great hunter, somewhat to our dismay, because we watch birds. He has a brilliant running gait, which I'm told is characteristic. He runs flat out and then when slowing near his objective, he raises his head and tail and takes huge, arcing leaps like a springbok two or three times. It's gorgeous to see! This gait is found in "sight hounds," a category they are sometimes included in, as opposed to scent hunters.

CD/Dingos are amazing dogs. Leah looks right. My advice is to believe that she is one, understand her uniqueness and be really happy about it. They are treasures.

I don't know what to say about the food. Quincy isn't voracious, but he eats well. CD/ADs should stay pretty slim and light. I'd guess she loves your attention, so she's really happy that you sit down and spoon feed her. As long as you enjoy it, it seems fine, but you probably don't need to worry that she'll starve.

[innohscent1]

How did you contact Jane Gunnell? I sent her an email a few weeks ago, and to all the breeders on the eastern side of the US and no one responded. Did you call? I haven't tried that yet.

[Aymee Laurain]

I have a female American Dingo mix who is one year old. She is the sweetest most loveable dog I've ever seen and I don't just say that because she is mine. She follows me everywhere I go. Even at the dog beach she will follow me around instead of playing. When she got spayed and when I had to get a fish hook removed from her lip she was so upset about leaving me that they had to use the most anastesia possible and with the fish hook she still did not want to go down. I learned that I have to be in the room to calm her whenever she goes under. She has more focused energy than any dog I've ever seen. My poor Rottie can't keep up with her and normally ends up laying on the floor pawing at her and making noises. Otherwise, she cuddles all the time. Even if she is pressed up against me she will still try to get closer. She is very skeptical of new people though. She's won't attack but she will go in the other room away from them.

[innohscent1]

Aww! She is adorable! Don't they have such a human characteristic about their face?! It's almost as if it burns into your memory just as your child. You'd recognize them anywhere!