Although not the fastest nor bravest animal on the planet she could possibly be the sweetest here in the Russian River area. Luna is of the breed "Black Mouthed Cur" and her lineage goes back centuries. Luna's fore- fathers are thought to have arrived on the North American continent with the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. A far cry from the Russian River area but stay with me. Soto's canines were mostly Mastiffs and Greyhounds that were used for hunting and literally scaring the hell out of the native population. Many of the dogs were left behind and began breeding with the local North American Dingo, resulting in a very intelligent breed with lots of stamina, excellent for hunting, herding and all around work.
The Black Mouth Cur breed is a very popular one with hunters ranchers and plan old everyday dog lovers, whom you will find in abundance in the Russian River Area. The Russian River area is a beautiful area to live for dog and human alike with plenty of open space affording the canines plenty of room to romp. Up and down the river you'll see doggies swimming after the thrown stick. In Luna's case I have to watch for fishermen and women as she has a tendency to chase their lure and perhaps, god forbid, get hooked. Up in the hills surrounding the Russian River Valley and numerous tributary valleys are thousands of acres devoted to hunting. Wild Boar hunting is one of my favorites as well as Luna's. It is no wonder she sometimes gets a little nervous when we are out for a leisurely walking and hears rattling in a bush, she has seen many a wild Boars come charging out of bushes.
The first time I saw Luna she was seven weeks old carrying a cloth duck in her mouth. Her ears were the same size they are today so you can get an idea just how cute she was as a pup. This was at the airport when she arrived to the Russian River area from her breeder in Louisiana. She loved that duck, sleeping with it and carrying it around until the fabric finally wore completely out a few years latter. We both feel very lucky to be living in the Russian River area with it's beautiful landscape, friendly people and river running right down the middle.
