Mountain Cur

The American Kennel Club calls the Mountain Cur the true all-American pioneer dog, and puts the case strongly: it was a necessity to the frontier family, and the southern mountains might not have been settled without it.

The work was everything at once. These dogs guarded the family and the livestock against wild animals and intruders, and they caught, treed or holed the game that fed the household. Until the 1940s they were simply part of the way of life in that country.

The AKC records the breed in the Foundation Stock Service and gives a height of roughly 18 to 26 inches in males and 16 to 24 in females.

The breed is registered by the American Kennel Club.

Size, standard by standard

• American Kennel Club — weight 13.6-27.2 kg

Full standards: American Kennel Club.

Country of origin: United States of America

• It was a working necessity on the American frontier, not a luxury.
• The same dog guarded the farm and put food on the table.
• It remained part of mountain life until the 1940s.
• The word cur here means a working farm dog, not a mongrel.
• The AKC records it in the Foundation Stock Service.