As I may have mentioned to some of you, my great grandfather is credited with helping breed a line of working dogs called "Catahoulas." Or as the state of Louisiana refers to them: Catahoula Leopard Dogs.
In fact, it is the State Dog of Louisiana.
I grew up knowing them as Catahoula Curs. Almost anyone with a farm or ranch or a need to hunt had at least one. They were better than farm hands, or in some cases, better than children when it came to physical work. They carried more than their own weight and demanded nothing in return except to be respected and fed.
There's no limit to the amazing Catahoula stories that can be told by old-timers in the area of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. Fortunately, one person from Abita Springs, Louisiana has taken the time and made the effort to tell the Catahoula Cur's, uh excuse me, Catahoula Leopard Dog's story from the beginning. His name is Don Abney. His web site is:
http://www.donabney.com/
Just this afternoon I received an autographed copy of Don's latest book, "The Complete Louisiana Leopard Dog." My name is mentioned in the Acknowledgments section although my only contribution was to tell Don a couple of stories about growing up on my grandfather's farm. My grandfather had a Catahoula that answered to "Sonofabitch." That dog would work all day and then become a watchdog at night. And I'm pretty sure his IQ was higher than mine.
Anyway, if you are a dog person, you really need to get to know the Catahoula. The best place to start is going to Don Abney's site: http://www.donabney.com/ Then if you are as intrigued as I was by what you read there, buy the book. Don has done his homework and put his findings to print.
Thanks Don.
