Description:
Panthro is a Catahoula Leapord Dog mix. He is looking for a new home because his owner is being deployed. This is a difficult decision for this family because they know that as an older dog (since when is 7 old?) there will be fewer people willing to adopt him. We have chosen to make him eligable for our Seniors For Seniors program (read about it under the Information dropdown). He will not be ready for final adoption until June 13th, after he is neutered. Read what this family has to say about this lovely dog:
"He is good with people, kids, and cats but should be the only dog. (He's not an attack dog - he just prefers his own canine company.)
He loves to run but I dont! He is very forgiving of me - he settles for a walk
in the morning & a walk in the evening. He would be great for a senior-with a fenced yard - he would not need walking.
He has a favorite ball & scrambles to find just that one ball when I come
home every night.
He does bark when an unfamiliar person comes in or if he hears activity that
is abnormal outside. However several months can pass & my son-in-law can
come home on leave from the Navy-walk thru the front door & it is that
excitement to see him & he looks for that favorite ball.
When my son-in-law is home we always watch Magic games & if you tell Panthro
to go find his Basketball he will go searching til he finds the basketball &
bring it in the living room.
Once he couldn't find it & I said " I think you left it upstairs in the
bedroom." I swear he looked at me then went running upstairs & came back down
with the basketball.
My phone number is 407-921-0021
& e-mail is lsbeck@gmail.com "

I hope that we can find the perfect home for this lad soon. Please contact the family directly with any questions. And, yes, I should be posting photos soon!

According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog is believed to have originated from Nordic Wolfhound being introduced some three to five hundred years before the Spanish arrived - However, no one will really know for sure. The state of Louisiana is cited as the point of origin, particularly the area of Catahoula. In 1979, the breed was designated the state dog of Louisiana. The Catahoula was named after a Parish in Northeastern Louisiana and after the mottled spots on its coat. At one time this breed was used to round up feral pigs and cattle -- livestock that had escaped, and was living in woods and swamps. It involved team effort that is highly coordinated and organized, fast paced, dangerous, and a marvel to watch. The ideal dog team usually numbers three, and they must work together. Otherwise, the one pig can kill all three in a matter of minutes. Each dog has to be aware of what the pig and the other two dogs are doing and react accordingly. Hunters sometimes used the Catahoula to trail and tree raccoons, but this dominant breed is more at home acting the thug with obstinate boars. This dog is used particularly on the difficult task of driving and rounding hogs and unruly cattle.
The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog is independent, protective, and territorial. Loving with their family and all people they know well and reserved with strangers (this would include strange children). They need to make up to a person, not a person make up to them. Of course there are temperaments on both sides of this, but this is for the average dog. They mature right around 2 and it is as if a light goes on and they say to themselves "I am an adult now and I need to act grown up." This breed's reservation with strangers should not be noticed in a pup, but will show as the dog matures. Although affectionate with his master, the Catahoula is not recommended for the casual pet owner who is uninterested in allowing the dog to function in his intended capacity. For the right owner, this is a protective yet dominating canine. Signs of timidly on a leash should not be taken as cowardness, but the intolerance for strangers. This breed needs a dominant owner who shows strong leadership. They have of life expectancy of 12-13 years.