The working Lacy Dog legacy
I will state this fact over and over again because it's the defining purpose of the Lacy breed — Lacys are working dogs. They were developed by the Lacy family to gather and move feral hogs in the Texas Hill Country. Historic documents show they were used for a variety of additional jobs, such as herding cattle and hunting ringtails. All Lacy Dogs earned their keep, putting food on the table or money in the bank. And only the best working dogs were bred. "Ranchers are particular in mating the dogs," a 1956 article on Lacy hog dogs explains. "They strive to preserve the traits that make their dogs so valuable." Defining the Lacy in any other way, breeding pets to sell to pet homes, forcing dogs to live in a small suburban yard with no real outlet — all of these things contradict the true history and purpose of Lacy Dogs.
Created for a purpose
In the late 19th century, the Lacy brothers faced a quandary.
Free-range hogs were a big business opportunity, but they needed a better way to work the pigs on the range and drive
them to the stockyards. They couldn't find an existing dog breed with the speed, agility, stamina and intelligence
necessary for the job, so they created their own line, the Lacy Hog Dog.
There is much debate about the breeds that went into creating the Lacy.
From the research I've done and the conversations I've had with
Geroge W. Lacy's granddaughter, I believe the Lacy brothers brought
a hound-wolf hybrid with them in 1858 and added an English Shephered mix once they got to Marble Falls. But I also think anything that fit the
program was added to the pot. That likely included various cur and hound breeds. A true landrace, the Lacy Dog was defined by
its work, not a pedigree.
Established as a working breed
Customized to find and bay rough Texas livestock, the Lacy Dog became an integral part of many Hill Country ranches.
As ranchers bred to maintain these unique working traits, the dogs became more standardized in appearance as well. They were noted to
be small, primarily blue or red, always solid in color with no spotting, a white chest and a slick coat.
"The Lacy dogs are very typical," said hog-dog expert J.L. Renick in 1942. "You can tell them at a glance, they're different from other dogs."
The Lacy was first recognized as a distinct breed
by the Animal Research Foundation. In 1976, Preston's Big Blue became the first registered Lacy Dog, inspected and papered by the ARF.
Though they followed a conformation standard, the ARF was primarily a stock dog registry, emphasizing working style and ability over apperance.
Surviving as the State Dog of Texas
The biggest threat to the Lacy breed is not a lack of working outlets. The biggest threat is a lack of commitment to their working legacy.
In 2005, the Blue Lacy was named the State Dog of Texas. Though they undoubtedly deserve to be honored as an important part
of Lone Star history, being officially recognized brought them mainstream attention. Suddenly people wanted to buy Lacys just for pets.
And unfortunately there are plenty of breeders willing to meet that demand. Though it may have started as ignorance, far too many dogs have
been put down, dumped in shelters or rehomed to continue to justify breeding and selling Lacys solely as pets. It is abundantly clear that a true blue Lacy
was never meant to live in an apartment or suburbia. Yet the trend
continues. Even worse, these pet homes have begun to breed unproven dogs just because they have papers, diluting the skills and instincts
that make the Lacy so special.
Lacys always have been and always should be working dogs. Individuals and organizations serious about preserving the breed will focus on
that for the future. And if you think it would be neat to have a Lacy because they're the beautiful State Dog of Texas, I suggest you also look into
buying a Longhorn. A true Texas breed, they are far more recognizable as an official state symbol.
If you don't have the land, lifestyle and resources to care for Longhorn cattle, you might want to reconsider the Lacy Dog as well.
For more information on protecting the Lacy legacy, visit the National Lacy Dog Association.
