Carolina Dog

The Carolina Dog is older than any breeding programme. The American Kennel Club traces it to the primitive dogs that came with the first people to cross the Bering land bridge from Asia into North America, dogs domesticated from Asian wolves thousands of years before that.

Skeletal and mummified remains of such dogs have been found alongside artefacts of the Southwest Indians, and similar remains have turned up in ceremonial contexts further east. The type spread into Central and South America and across to the eastern United States.

The breed was identified in modern times among free-ranging dogs of the southeastern states, which is where its name comes from. The AKC records it in the Foundation Stock Service and gives a height of about 17.75 to 19.5 inches.

The breed is registered by the American Kennel Club.

Size, standard by standard

• American Kennel Club — height 45.1-49.5 cm

Full standards: American Kennel Club.

Country of origin: United States of America

• Its ancestors crossed the Bering land bridge with the first people to reach North America.
• Remains of similar dogs have been found in ceremonial burials.
• It was identified in modern times among free-ranging dogs of the southeast.
• It is sometimes called the American Dingo.
• The AKC records it in the Foundation Stock Service.