I had the opportunity yesterday to sign books at the SC Book Festival in Columbia. My publisher, Harrelson Press, had a booth next to the author, Allen Paul. He was selling his book, “Honey, the Dixie Dingo Dog,” and the ginger-colored Honey was with him.
Honey is a friendly Carolina Dog. She enjoyed her treats, as well as all of the children and adults that stopped to meet her. Giving random dog kisses, she would lean in for petting and hugs. Obviously loving people as a family dog, she was well-behaved and even took a couple of naps under the table.
Some Carolina dogs live in the wild with their packs. Ten-year-old Honey obviously loved her human pack, Betsy and Allen. Studies reveal that Carolina dogs are America’s native dog. One theory says they came from the Middle East and crossed the Ice Age land bridge some 12,000 years ago. They were camp followers of their human family.
Carolina Dogs were Indian dogs and were the first domesticated dog of the Americas. The Carolina Dog comes out of the American Deep South. They are often called “Old Yaller” in the South because of their coat’s color. (Perhaps you remember either the book or the movie, “Old Yeller.” The look and the traits of the dog follow what is known about a Carolina dog.)
The breed’s common traits are rare; they include a fishhook tail, a lupine face, and large ears. Digging snout pits is fun entertainment for them.
The New York Times published this article on Carolina dogs in 2013 http://www.nytimes.com/…/a-dog-that-goes-way-back.ht… It includes many other facts about this breed.
Richard Blake commented on “Honey the Dixie Dingo Dog.”(available on Amazon) “There are lessons we can all learn from dogs like Honey. She demonstrated loyalty to family (her pack) and the benefit of receiving the strength to overcome adversity when working together. Another take away I noted is a lesson Honey learned from her Mama and Papa: ‘Be careful who you run with-watch where you step and to live and let live, or to respect others.'”
Those sound like good lessons for all of us.
Sheila Ingle 