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Carolina dog

The Carolina Dog, sometimes called the American Dingo, was identified in the 1970s living free in the swamps and pine forest of the American Southeast.

Genetic study supports the idea that it descends from dogs that came with the earliest human migrations into the Americas rather than from European stock.

It stands 45 to 61 centimetres, weighs 13 to 25 kilograms and lives twelve to fifteen years, with a short ginger coat and a fishhook tail. It retains distinctly primitive behaviours: pack structure, seasonal denning, and the digging of snout pits — small conical holes dug with the muzzle, whose purpose is still debated. It is healthy, wary and highly adaptable.

Origin
American Southeast; a free-living primitive dog
Size
45–61 cm; 13–25 kg
Lifespan
12–15 years
Coat
Short ginger coat; seasonal moult
Behaviour
Primitive — pack structure, denning, digging snout pits
Health
Very robust; some individuals show ivermectin sensitivity

2 carolina dog photos, newest first

Carolina dog feed
  • Halibut, a carolina dog

    Halibut

    Halibut was promoted to meticulous museum curator; unfortunately, one toy suitcase circles endlessly.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Halibut, a carolina dog

    Halibut

    Took eleven attempts. Halibut moved for ten of them.

    SunnyHeron · 2 weeks ago

Living with a carolina dog

Socialise early and thoroughly. Carolina Dogs are naturally wary of unfamiliar people and situations, and without early work that becomes lasting fearfulness.

Mention the breed to your vet before worming or sedation. Ivermectin sensitivity has been reported, and an MDR1 test is a sensible precaution.

They dig — pits, dens and escape routes — and they are excellent escape artists. Fencing needs to go into the ground.

They are pack-oriented and do well with another dog, and they have a real prey drive around small animals.

Health is excellent, being shaped by survival rather than breeding. The short coat needs a weekly brush and more during the moult.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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