Talla, Mexi-dog

Wonderful pictures of young Talla, adopted in Mexico by Leah Petesch. 

Some believe these are primitive dogs descended from the pre-Columbian dogs of the region. All the dogs there look and act similar, writes Leah. They are also called Mayan dogs.

'Talla was born on the streets of San Carlos, in Sonora,' says Leah. 'She's a very "different" looking dog, especially since we brought her up to Iowa and there are no indigenous street dogs in Iowa!  I know of a few more, and they all look similar. 30-40lbs, long slender legs, wedge-shaped faces, streamlined bodies, curled tails.  Most are gold colored, like mine.

'Sometimes it's hard to explain to people that these aren't "purebred" dogs with papers, but they are definitely a pure type and have had a consistent phenotype for thousands of years.  

'These dogs are so versatile and willing to please...  and VERY agile!'

If you'd like to read more about pre-Columbian dogs of the Americas, here's an interesting article by Stephanie Little Wolf.  It has been posted earlier in this blog and in the INDog website.

Photos: Leah Petesch

San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico

Iowa, USA

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