Distinctive Dogs

Did you know that there are 11 states that have official state dogs?  I was looking at a slide show on the internet about it the other day.  The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is the state dog of Maryland - not too surprising.

Source:  Wikipedia

It makes sense that the Alaskan Malamute is the state dog of Alaska.

Source:  Wikipedia

The Boston Terrier is the state dog of Massachusetts - a pretty obvious choice.

Source:  Wikipedia

All dogs that are fairly common and ones I'd heard of, but there were some surprises.  Ever heard of a Plott Hound?  It's the state dog of North Carolina, certainly not a well known breed - I don't recall ever seeing one at any of the big dog shows I've watched on TV.

Source:  Wikipedia

The Plott family brought Hanoverian hounds with them when they emigrated from Germany and settled in North Carolina.  They bred their own dogs and they were used for hunting boar and bears.  It's a scent hound that eventually became known by the Plott family name - the Plott's hounds.  They were recognized by the AKC in 2006.

Not to be outdone South Carolina also chose a state dog.  Meet the Boykin Spaniel.

Source:  Wikipedia

Never heard of that one either?  It kind of looks like a small Irish setter with short curly hair.  This dog was bred to hunt wild turkeys and ducks in South Carolina swamp land and, yes, it involved a man named Boykin who trained hunting dogs.  The foundation dog for all Boykins was actually a stray who had a natural hunting ability.

And Texas voted the Blue Lacy or Lacy as their state dog.  Yeah, never heard of that one either.

Source:  Wikipedia

And even though it's called a BLUE Lacey it can also be red or tri-colored.  They have also been used for hunting boar, but is versatile - a great herding dog as well.  Again, named after the Lacy brothers who moved to Texas with their dogs who were part English sheepdog, wolf and greyhound.

And last, but not least, did you know that there is a breed of sled dog that was developed in New England?  The Chinook.

Source:  Dog Breed Info

And school children in New Hampshire decided it would make a great state dog.  This dog is a cross between a husky and mastiff-type dog and instead of being named after a human, Chinook was the name of the first such dog bred by Arthur Walden of Wonalancet, New Hampshire.

Hope you enjoyed your dog history lesson!