Odie is a gorgeous Catahoula dog. He has an even temperament. He is known as the "lazy dog" at the shelter but trust me, this boy has enough energy to do whatever you have in mind for the day. He is just pretty laid back the rest of the time.

Did you know that the Catahoula breed name comes from a parish in Louisiana? Read more about Catahoula dogs below to learn more about this breed and how Odie can easily fit into your family.

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While I was videoing a couple of dogs that were already in the exercise area I put Odie in the gated entry way. When I looked back, he still had his leash on but the part that was on the ground was now in his mouth. He was carrying it like you see on TV where the dog is trying to get the owner to take a walk. It was too funny and I caught it on video!

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Odie is good with other dogs, too! He wanted to romp and play with the two other dogs that were in the exercise area but they were girls and he is a boy and, we didn't want any accidents happening. Odie walked great on a leash. He loved to roll in the grass, which is something he would like to do on a regular basis, he said.

The Animal Care and Adoption Center in Texarkana, Ark., is our only animal shelter in town. They have a few hundred dogs and cats that need to be reclaimed or adopted. Room is always an issue at a city animal shelter. We feature an animal each week to help get the word out about many of these great pets.

According to Wikipedia:

The Catahoula Cur is an American dog breed named after Catahoula Parish, in the state of Louisiana, in the United States. After becoming the state dog of Louisiana in 1979, its name was officially changed to Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog. The Catahoula is believed to be the first dog breed developed in North America. The breed is sometimes referred to as the "Catahoula Hound" or "Catahoula Leopard Hound", although it is not a true hound, but a cur. It is also called the "Catahoula Hog Dog", reflecting its traditional use in hunting wild boar.

My Catahoula is an amazing dog. He wandered up as a stray and now he is a part of my family. He instinctively knows what it is that I am asking him to do when I give commands. Tell him once and he has got it! Here is some more information that I found about this dog on Wikipedia:

The history of both the Catahoula lineage and the origins of the name "Catahoula" are both subject to uncertainty, however there are various theories (or hypotheses).

One theory suggestion that the Catahoula is the result of Native Americans having bred their own dogs with molossers and greyhounds brought to Louisiana by Hernando de Soto in the 16th century. As for the aforementioned Native American dog breeds, for a time it was believed that they were bred with or from red wolves, but this idea is not supported by modern DNA analysis. Several recent studies[1] have looked at the remains of prehistoric dogs from American archaeological sites and each has indicated that the genetics of prehistoric American dogs are similar to European and Asian domestic dogs rather than wild New World canids. In fact, these studies indicate that Native Americans brought several lines (breeds) of already domesticated dogs with them on their journeys from Asia to North America.[2]

Another theory suggests that the breed originated three centuries later, some time in the 19th century, after French settlers introduced the Beauceron to the North American continent. The French told of strange-looking dogs with haunting glass eyes that were used by the Indians to hunt game in the swamp.,[3] and the theory states that the Beauceron and the Red Wolf/war dog were interbred to produce the Catahoula.

There are two theories regarding the origin of the word 'Catahoula.' One theory is that the word is a combination of two Choctaw words 'okhata', meaning lake, and 'hullo', meaning beloved. Another possibility is that the word is a French transformation of the Choctaw Indian word for their own nation, 'Couthaougoula' pronounced 'Coot-ha-oo-goo-la'.(Don Abney)

T-shirts are available at the animal shelter now. They are only $18 and will help support the animals at the shelter. Thanks for supporting our shelter animals.

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Please visit the shelter's new Facebook page to see if there is an animal there that you would be interested in adopting, fostering or sponsoring.

NEW shelter Facebook page
NEW shelter Facebook page
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It is so unfortunate that there are thousands of dogs that are euthanized every year in our local shelter when there are so many dogs that would make fabulous pets. Please help us make a difference by spreading the word. Share this post on your Facebook page and Tweet about it, too.

The shelter's adoption fees range from $40 to $144, depending on the gender and size of the animal or whether they have been spayed or neutered yet. You can also have your pet microchipped for only $20 right at the shelter. That way if your pet is ever lost, he or she can be returned to you quickly.

If you would like to foster a dog contact the shelter to get information about dog rescues in our area that can help.

The Animal Care and Adoption Center is located at 203 Harrison St., Texarkana, Ark. 71854 and is open Monday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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