Gun Dog Breeders: Mountain Cur Facts

The mountain cur is a breed that was developed by gun dog breeders for hunting and treeing game, such as squirrels and raccoons. The dogs are extremely adept at performing their jobs, but the term cur can be a little misleading. In Great Britain the term referred to a type of cattle dog used for driving stock to market. In current language, cur can refer to any mixed-breed dog without a pedigree or breed recognition. These terms have confused many, but the mountain cur is among a group of breeds that have achieved breed recognition from kennel clubs.

Here are a few facts about mountain curs, according to the Dog Breed Info Center.

1. The cur was first registered with the Mountain Cur Breeder’s Association in 1957, and became accepted by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 1998.

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2. The mountain cur is a working dog, used by hunters to find and tree small game, but they have also been used for baying big game, such as bear and wild boar.

3. Curs have also been efficient water dogs, when introduced and trained properly.

4. The curs have an important part in American history. Brought to the frontier areas of Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky from Europe, curs helped settlers hunt local game and provide food for their families. The pelts of raccoons and other game were also traded or used in making clothing and household items.

5. The breed nearly became extinct during World War II. The dogs’ owners left their rural homes and went to work in cities to help with factories’ war efforts, and the dogs did not fit into the urban environments. The breed was considered rare in the late 1940s. A small group of breeders is credited for keeping the breed in existence: Hugh Stephens and Woody Huntsman (Kentucky), Carl McConnell (Virginia), and Dewey Ledbetter (Tennessee).

These men kept the breed alive and wrote the original standard for the breed, founding the Original Mountain Cur Breeders’ Association in 1956. Stock and Stephen later left the association to form the Stephen Stock Mountain Cur Association.

6. Michael and Marie Bloodgood, of Afton New Your took interest in the breed in the 1980s and developed the Mountain View Cur, which can live to about 16 years of age.

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