Evangeline was rescued from a high kill shelter. This sweet Catahoula was rescued just in time. She is very shy but is starting to slowly come out of her shell. She is looking for a loving gentle owner that will show her what a dogs life should be.

Foster Update:  Evangeline has been in my care now for 16 days since I picked her up from the Sanford facility. She was very shy and it was impossible to get her out of the crate without force.  We think she might have been in a puppy mill for her entire life. She has already changed for the better and is making great strides every day. We figured that the company of another Catahoula might help her come out of her shell. And yes, it worked nicely. It has even calmed my own rescue dog down a bit. I introduced Evangeline to multiple animals and situations to see what issues she might have that I need to work on so that she can be rehabilitated and ready for adoption. She gets along wonderfully with cats, kittens, rabbits, dogs and children. I have brought her to a friend of mine to see how she would react to the attention she would get from an autistic child. She did great. She is still a bit shy at first with strangers but warms up very quickly. She walks freely around the house and has bonded very nicely with my cat and dog. She lays on the sofa while I'm at work and at bed time she will start by sleeping on the bed and finally ending up waking up in the morning to go into her always open crate. She is a grazer when it comes to food. I leave the food out all day and she nibbles on it during the day. She is not food aggressive. I have her on a 34% protein, grain free diet. Which is what I like to do with fosters to bulk them up in their first stages of foster life with me. I'm going to try to take her to a large gathering with a lot of people so she can learn to keep losing her fear of people. Little by little we will get her to feel like a dog again. I think she is ready to be adopted and find her forever home. It's gonna hurt to give this one up but I know that the next one is waiting over at the facility for me to help out. I have had a lot of dogs, but this is one that I have gotten really attached to.

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.