What’s In A Name?
Todd Kellam

Sometimes a dog’s breed name just doesn’t fit its type. A classic example is the Brittany. For years and years the breed was registered as Brittany Spaniel. More recently the word spaniel was dropped from the official breed name and the breed simply became the Brittany. It was an appropriate change. Spaniels are flushing dogs, the Brittany is a pointing dog. Its type didn’t fit its breed name. And look how many years it took for anyone to do anything about it? Amazing really.

Enter the Leopard Cur. Another great breed of hunting dog whose name didn’t fit its type. There are several reasons for that. In judging body type alone, the Leopard more closely resembles the hound breeds than the remainder of the cur breeds. In function, they are more of a coon and big game specialist than the remainder of the cur breeds. By virtue of the fact that they are open trailers and often cold nosed, they much more closely resemble the coonhound breeds. Either they have always been or have evolved to the point that they are more typical of a coonhound breed than any of the cur breeds. To lump them into the cur category just doesn’t seem like an accurate description of their type.

Some might think, “What’s in a name?” Often times I would agree but in this situation, that isn’t the case. UKC coonhound events are open only to the coonhound breeds. Cur dog events, though technically open to all breeds, do exclude coonhound participation. The Leopards were basically prohibited from competing along side the very breeds they were most closely related to in conformation, ability and type. It was this passion of Leopard hunters to test their dogs in competition against the coonhound breeds that first started the ball rolling in what has become another one of the most logical re-categorizations the dog world has ever seen.

Working closely with ALCBA (American Leopard Cur Breeders Association) we discussed the possibility of the Leopard becoming the seventh coonhound breed at UKC. We felt in order to do this, two things needed to happen. The name should be changed to reflect the fact that it was a hound and the breed standard should be changed to prohibit the longer coat variety that exists in a very small percentage of the breed. The vote among the membership to make both changes was passed by an overwhelming majority. So with the blessing of our six existing chartered coonhound breed associations, the decision was made.

Effective May 1, 2008, the Leopard Cur will become the American Leopard Hound. They will be eligible to compete in all UKC licensed coonhound events provided they have American Leopard Hound papers or Easy Entry Card. All previously earned points and titles will transfer with the dog. There are just a handful of them that have titles and out of respect for those hunters and the dogs that earned them, they will remain with the dog. There will likely be a set period of time for Leopards not currently registered with UKC to be brought into the registry as American Leopard Hounds under the rules and fee structure previously used for Leopard Curs.

The new coonhound rulebook that comes out in December of this year will contain all American Leopard Hound information including the breed standard. Between now and then, Bench Show Judges will be required to download the American Leopard Hound breed standard from the UKC website at www.ukcdogs.com or contact the UKC office and request to be sent an American Leopard Hound breed standard.