Cur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cur refers to a dog, usually of mixed ancestry. Fighting dogs that regress to growling rather than maintain calm are referred to as 'cur'. The derivation of the word "cur" is uncertain. According to the Dictionary of True Etymologies (Room, Adrian, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London and New York, 1986), "cur" is a Germanic word, possibly from Old Norse meaning to growl. If so, then the word is onomatopoeic, and a cur is a dog that goes "grrr."
Cur is also a type of hunting dog developed in the United States, usually not recognized by major show registries, but developed solely for hunting ability. As a result, most of the cur breeds are types rather than breeds—that is, one of these dogs can be recognized as a certain type of Cur but the appearance standard is extremely flexible, enough so that a complete breed appearance standard is difficult to create. However, several kennel clubs register various cur breeds based on their ancestry (bloodlines), and several lines are recognized within each breed. The United Kennel Club has an active registration program and competition hunting program for these dogs.
Cur is also used in the play Rent to refer to a barking dog that "won't shut up".
Examples of curs include:
- Blackmouth Cur
- Blue Lacy
- Catahoula Leopard Dog
- Mountain Cur
- Mountain View Cur
- Stephens Cur
- Treeing Cur
Divide into:
[edit] Earlier use
Historically, the words cur and feist were used in England to refer to small hunting dogs, where "feists" were the smaller dogs and "curs" were 30 lbs or larger. The Elizabethans may have used the word "cur" to denote "terrier". The word appears to be more colloquial in nature, with the first known documented use of the word appearing in the Scottish periodical, Blackwood's Magazine in 1819. The article, Species and Historic lineage of Canine derivations,penned by Sir P. Sean Lacey of London (1776 - 1842) cites "separating the miscreants and cur breeds from those of honorable standing".
