The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog evolved in the swamps of central Louisiana, around the Catahoula Lakes.
Legend says their ancestors were the results of the Indian dogs, the red wolf found in the area at that time, mating with the surviving "war dogs" or mastiff used by the Spaniards in battle left behind, either wounded or captured by the Indians.
The first white settlers to the Catahoula Lake area found this strange breed of dogs with mottled spots and white eyes and called them CATAHOULA meaning "beautiful clear water." The dogs were used for hunting deer, bobcat, and wild hogs. The settlers learned to appreciate the dogs technique on trailing by wind, baying and herding. Soon they had the dogs working cattle.