The Carolina dog breed, American Dingo or “Dixie Dingo” was discovered in the later 1970s by Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin Jr. an Ecologist at Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Lab. The dog was first spotted as Dr. Brisbin was working at Savannah River. He first spotted a dog he named Horace and began to seek out the breed. He went to local shelter finding many of the breed there that had been captured and was surprised at how much the dog resembled the Australian dingo..
In the wild the Carolina Dog lives in swampy, sparsely populated areas of South Carolina and Georgia. The interesting thing about this breed is a primitive dog and is a result of natural selection rather than breeding. The dog has survived as a free animal in the Southeastern United States in packs and is sometimes referred to as a Pariah dog or a dog in India that belongs to no one but lives comfortably around humans.
The Carolina Dog is referred to by other names such as “Indian Dog” or “Old Yallar” because of its coat coloration. They were the first dogs of the Native Americans being used for hunting and herding. It is theorized that they originally came with Asians that crossed the Bering Straits possible as much as 8000 years ago.
The Carolina Dog has been domesticated and is being bred now by breeders. They are, if socialized with humans from an early age, a good companion and family dog. The breed is recognized as a rare breed by the United Kennel Club among other organizations but not the AKC.
These dogs look beautiful and very healthy. There are only a couple of breeders in the states but they are gaining awards in competitions for rare breeds. An interesting breed, I am close to a breeder here in South Carolina. I find this breed fascinating and cannot wait to see them up close
