BLACK MOUTH CURS HER IDEAL DOG, TRAVELS TO MISSISSIPPI, A FLORIDA LADNER Written by: Margaret Macy
B
eing a native Floridian, I wanted to breed dogs that could stand up to the Florida heat, hunt hogs, squirrels, raccoons and coyotes, as well as pen cows and track wounded game. I also wanted a breed with little, if any, health issues.
had such extensive written documentation of his family’s breeding curs that the National Kennel Club recognized the dogs as a breed in April 1964. The two registries are the Ladner Black Mouth Cur (colors) and Ladner Yellow Black Mouth Cur (yellow).
I decided on Black Mouth Curs, or BMCs. But not just any BMC. After doing my research, I wanted Ladner Black Mouth Curs. L.H. Ladner was from southern Mississippi and he had raised these dogs all of his life. Ladner family, in fact, have bred these dogs for more than 200 years. Ladner
I traveled twice to Mississippi and purchased pups directly from Curt Ladner, son of L.H. Ladner. Curt has continued his father’s legacy in breeding these wonderful curs. Hog hunting is a big pastime in Florida and can be conducted year-round on private property, with the landowner’s
Curs in earlier times helped ranchers as cattle dogs, guard dogs to keep predators/intruders away and hunting dogs to put food on the table.
AFTER DOING MY RESEARCH, I WANTED LADNER BLACK MOUTH CURS. 44
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY J u n e | J u l y 2 0 17
BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO BY DAVID DUTRA; ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY MARGARET MACY
BREEDS & BLOODLINES