Andrea Rosebrock 
I don’t often write about dogs that need adopting too often because there are so many that do and all of them are special in one way or another but every now and then one will catch my eye and steal my heart!
This is Shadow, a beautiful 2 yr old Catahoula Leopard dog mix that is on very short time now. Unfortunately, Shadow has run out of options. He is housebroken and loves his crate. He loves people of all ages. Shadow is not dog-friendly. Shadow excels in agility. He can be easily walked in public; he sits when other dogs pass. Shadow is being boarded in Folsom, CA, but can be transported anywhere in the US or Canada at the expense of Catahoula Rescue.
He was rescued from a shelter where he impressed the staff with his skills on their agility course. The staff all turned out to see him leave and bade him
a tearful farewell. Shortly after leaving the shelter, Shadow and his foster mom, an older woman, were involved in a serious auto accident during a snowstorm. Shadow guided his foster mom to safety three miles away. This woman claims that Shadow saved her life.
Not surprisingly, she “failed” as a foster parent and adopted Shadow. He proved himself to be a terrific companion for all the people in the family. Tragically, the older male dog took a dislike to Shadow, repeatedly attacking him, and Shadow responded aggressively. After a few rounds of this, the adopter decided to return Shadow to the rescue.
Unfortunately, the only available foster was a temporary situation involving a family with other dogs.
After a few weeks of doing fine, Shadow got into a fight with the resident female dog.
Today, Shadow is in a boarding kennel. Funds will only support a few weeks of boarding. At no point has Shadow shown the slightest indication of aggression towards people, although he is too rambunctuous for small childern. However, at this point, he cannot be trusted around other dogs in the home. He is fine on a leash – no lunging, etc. We urgently need a foster or adopter without other dogs anywhere in the U.S. or Canada to take Shadow while we work on a more permanent home for him. Shadow’s behavior with cats is unknown. Please help if you can!
If you like to know more about Shadow or contact the Catahoula Rescue, please see his profile.
My name is Ryan and I just wanted to make a statement about this dog. I have a dog named Smokey who is an 11 month old pitbull. He was born with very strange markings and I could not figure out where it came from. He truly is a pitbull (a friend has owned both parents and a few grandparents, so we know his lineage) but he looks IDENTICAL to this dog Shadow. I am still in awe that there is another dog on earth that looks (markings and all)just like him. I am now curious as to if the line of pitbulls (gator) could possbily have Catahoula is thier background. Are you sure of his breeding? THis is very curious to me indeed. I am willing to send pictures to show you how much alike they are. Thank You For listening To My Rant.
Ryan
Ryan, Shadow is a Catahoula mix, no clue as to what he is mixed with though. If you actually look up Catahoula Leopard dogs you will see many of them have that same blotchy type of marking, very distinctive.
As for your Smokey, pitbulls are not actually a breed, per say. They are any of several breeds or mixes thereof so unless his lineage is purebred there is no telling what he may be mixed with, maybe Catahoula somewhere along the line.
You can always have his DNA checked out. There is one company that will do a blood test and can check for DNA result from 157 different breeds of dogs. If you’re interested you can probably check with your vet or get more information online. I believe the company is MetaMorphix.
Good luck and hugs to your Smokey!
Deanna