Cur

For the Swiss city and canton named Cur in German, see Chur. For the filename extension ".cur", see ICO (icon image file format).

For other uses, see CUR (disambiguation).

A young Mountain Cur

Cur as slang refers to a type of random-bred, or mixed-breed dog. This article deals with Cur as a breed.

Etymology

The derivation of the word "cur" dates from the 13th century. It is thought to be short for the Middle English "curdogge", which derives from the word "curren", meaning "to growl".^[1] According to the Dictionary of True Etymologies the original root of the word may be Germanic, possibly from the Old Norse "kurra" meaning "to grumble".^[2] If so, the word may be onomatopoeic. Cur and the word "mutt" mean almost the same thing. A mutt is also a mixed breed or stray dog.

Another plausible explanation is that the word may be a derivation of "cu", the Gaelic word for "hound".

A group of curs may be referred to as a cowardice.^[3]

Early usage

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 cur appears to be colloquial in nature. In 1790, Thomas Bewick wrote:^[4]

The Cur Dog is a trusty and useful servant to the farmer and grazier; and, although it is not taken notice of by naturalists as a distinct race, yet it is now so generally used, especially in the North of England, and such great attention is paid in breeding it, that we cannot help considering it as a permanent kind. They are chiefly employed in driving cattle; in which way they are extremely useful. They are larger, stronger, and fiercer than the Shepherd's Dog; and their hair is smoother and shorter. They are mostly black and white colour. Their ears are half-pricked; and many of them are whelped with short tails, which seem as if they had been cut: These are called Self-tailed Dogs. They bite very keenly; and as they always make their attack at the heels, the cattle have no defence against them: In this way they are more than a match for a Bull, which they quickly compel to run. Their sagacity is uncommonly great. They know their master's fields, and are singularly attentive to the cattle that are in them: A good Dog watches, goes his rounds; and, if any strange cattle should happen to appear amongst the herd, although unbidden, he quickly flies at them, and with keen bites obliges them to depart.

Cur also appeared 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 honourable standing".

An early Webster's Dictionary definition cites a "worthless dog, or a dog descended from a wolf".

Curs and cur breeds

Cur is also a type of hunting and all-purpose dog developed in rural areas of the United States. Cur is used to describe this type of dog, although it does not describe a specific breed. Breeds of cur are usually not recognized by major show registries, so selection for certain looks hasn't been a main factor in their development. They are normally selected mainly for hunting or work ability, although some breeds of cur are also known for herding ability. Consequently, most cur breeds have extremely flexible appearance standards; enough so that a complete breed appearance standard is difficult to create. The resultant diversity in appearance and selection for physical ability result in breeds that tend to be genetically sound and healthy.

They are descended from European dogs brought over by immigrants, possibly mixed with native American dogs.^{[citation needed]} Unlike the true mutt which is random-bred with no human involvement, the curs' breeding is intentionally planned by people.

A related variety of breeds are the feists, small terrier-like dogs bred in the same areas of the United States for hunting small animals and keeping vermin out of farms. The feist breeds are slightly more unified in appearance than the curs, presumably because they were developed solely for working purposes.

Cur breeds include:

• Blackmouth Cur
• Catahoula Cur
• Mountain Cur
• Mountain View Cur
• Stephens Cur
• Treeing Cur
• Leopard Cur
• Blue Lacy
• Camus Cur
• Canadian Cur
• Feist
• Florida/Cracker Cur
• Henderson Cur
• Kemmer Stock Cur
• Kemmer Stock Hybrid Squirrel Dog
• Kemmer Feist
• Parnell's Carolina Cur
• Southern Blackmouth Cur
• Tennessee Treeing Brindle

Registry

Several lesser-known kennel clubs register various cur breeds based on their ancestry (bloodlines), and several lines are recognized within each breed. The National Kennel Club has registered these breeds for decades and is famous for their organized hunting competitions.

Today the United Kennel Club has an active registration program and competition hunting program for these dogs.

Popular culture

Old Yeller was a cur, and his intelligence and utility are typical.

Cur is also used by Angel Dumott Schunard in the musical Rent to refer to a barking dog that "won't shut up". The phrase is used in an historically correct sense, although as the dog in question was a pedigree Akita, at odds with modern usage as mixed-breed.

In the movie Tombstone, Wyatt Earp used the term cur on several occasions when referring to the Clantons.

In the video game Two Worlds, the hero often yells "Die, cur!" at attackers, in a belittling manner. The word cur is also used in the video games The Elder Scrolls III:Morrowind, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion mostly by Dark Elves, referring to the character as a 'filthy cur'.

In The Simpsons, Homer suggests the fictional breed Street Cur for their new dog.

In Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, refers to the prison guard dog as a "mangy cur."

In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Saruman tells Gríma Wormtongue "Get down, Cur." before smacking him to the ground.

References

1. ^ Room, Adrian, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London and New York, 1986
2. ^ merriam-webster.com
3. ^ "What do you call a group of ...?". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/page/collectivenouns_us. Retrieved 19 April 2011. 
4. ^ A General History of Quadrupeds by Thomas Bewick, Newcastle, 1790, p.286-287

• "Cur Dog Breeds and Types, Curs." Dog Breed Info Center®, DBI. Web. 20 May 2011.