The Blackmouth Cur is a rugged hunting dog that has its origins in the Southern United States of America.  The Blackmouth Cur is a well-muscled rugged hunting dog whose coat comes in a number of colors and shades, generally red, yellow, brindle, fawn or buckskin. Solid black or white Blackmouth Cur do, on rare occasion, appear in a breeding. According to the United Kennel Club Standard, up to ten percent of the coat may be white with the amounts of white on the toes, tail, nose and chest considered acceptable. Ringneck is unacceptable. None of the Cur breeds are currently recognized breeds of the American Kennel Club. (AKC)

History

Blackmouth Curs have varied historical documentation dependent upon region. Among them are the Ladner Yellow Blackmouth Cur from Mississippi, Red Blackmouth Cur from Alabama, Wetherford Ben Blackmouth Cur from Texas, and the Florida Blackmouth Cur. The first Blackmouth Curs registered were Ladner Blackmouth Curs through the National Kennel Club in April 1964. Mr L.H. Ladner had such extensive written documentation of his family's breeding that the NKC recognized the breed.  These curs are used to tree squirrel, raccoon, bobcat, mountain lion, and bear. They are used for hunting hogs and feral cattle. They also are distinguished by being used by the search and rescue emergency services. Red Alabama Blackmouth Cur: The Red Alabama Cur is believed to have originated in Alabama, though there are Red Blackmouth Cur in Florida and Tennessee. These cur were supposedly registered as property in the courthouses around Howardtown about 40 miles north of Mobile and nearby Tibbie in the 1940s. They were used as multipurpose pioneer dogs that would hunt, protect the home, and gather in the cattle and pigs at slaughter time. Several breeders in Alabama, Mrs Murphy among them, continue to work toward retaining and improving the Red Blackmouth Cur. Through the efforts of several Blackmouth Cur breeders, the United Kennel Club later recognized the breed, featuring Howard Carnathan's Bruno, a Red Blackmouth Cur, in their standard photograph. Wetherford Ben Texas Blackmouth Cur: Wetherfords come from a line of curs well-documented in the book 'The Big Thicket Legacy'. They are used primarily for herding cattle. Florida Blackmouth Cur: Florida Blackmouths are used for herding cattle are featured in old paintings hanging in local barber shops and homes, so their existence and history in Florida is documented.Blackmouth Curs now range from the east to the west coast, and as far north as Canada. The Ladner Blackmouth Curs are also known to be in Mexico, Argentina, Haiti, Russia, India, and throughout Europe. Also very closely related to the Blackmouth Cur is the Mountain Cur. The book Old Yeller is about a boy growing up in frontier Texas and adopting a dog of the title name. The eponymous Old Yeller is a typical Mountain Cur. In the book, Old Yeller is a short-haired, yellow bobtailed dog that hunts and trees, isn't afraid to fight a full-grown bear when it is threatened, and naturally goes for the nose when he faces a mad bull. The author is very explicit in describing this old-fashioned breed and its use to the pioneer. The name "Mountain Cur" is never mentioned in the book, however in those days, the breed really didn't have a name or an individual identity. The Mountain Cur dogs are slowly being sorted into individual types. 

Appearance and Size

Blackmouth Curs have short coats, either coarse or fine, and a combination of the two types may appear in the same litter. Mouth: The muzzle is square-shaped and may be melanistic mask, or black. The ears are medium-sized and hanging, and may either be black or the same color as the coat. 'Blackmouth' refers to the dark pigmentation around the lips that also extends into the interior of the mouth including the roof of the mouth, gums, and cheeks though not the tongue. The muzzle may or may not be dark, though it is generally the preferred look. Tail: The tail of a Blackmouth Cur is medium length and should not be bobbed, though many people do clip the Black Mouths tail. Feet: The feet are large and webbed, similar to a Catahoula Leopard Dog. Weight: The weight ranges from 30-100 pounds, with males being larger than females. The wide weight range is due to different kinds, age, and size.Weight: 45-95 pounds (20-43 kg.) Height: 16-25 inches (40-64 cm.) Coat: Some heavy, some light Litter size:  ? Life span: 12-16 years 

Personality

Black Mouth Curs are great family dogs. They are great social dogs if trained properly. This breed shows great loyalty and will die for their owner. Great around kids once they get use to them. As they grow older they become very laid back dogs. They can hunt smaller prey by themselves, and larger prey in a group.

Wikipedia and GNU

The content of this entry is from the Wikipedia article "Blackmouth Cur" licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.