Here is a pic of my 7 month old cur. There are several types of curs. The yellow one you see is called a kemmer mountain cur. I have what is called an original mountain cur...very close to the same thing and hunters breed the two over all the time. They are a natural treedog and bay dog. Many, such as mine, are squirrel dogs and coon dogs, while others are used to bay hogs or tree mountain lions, bobcat or bear. They are 40-50 lbs. These are the dogs of the pioneer days. Old yeller is the story of a cur, most likely a blackmouth cur based on the description given of him in the book...They really had no name back then...just good 'ole farm dogs. Since then, the've been pedigreed and certain strains have been developed...but they are all still the same dog. There is speculation about their relation to pit bulls. Some say curs came from pits, some say that they came from the same stock, but that one strain went the way of hunting (curs) and another strain went the way of fighting blood (pits). Many guys use a pack of curs to find and bay a hog, but then turn a pit bull lose as a catch dog. The curs have the grit, but aren't always that big, so not all of them have the lead in their rear ends to hold a hog down...so you might see a hog bust out of the brush with two smaller curs on each ear, not giving in, but just don't have the weight to sit down and hold a really big pig. Pits, on the other hand, though maybe not as gritty as a cur, is big and packs the lead to catch and hold. Some curs are definitely big enough to hold a pig though. My cur is, like I said, a squirrel dog. He works the woods, ranges out hunting and treeing squirrels, then checks back in. However, he is only 7 months old, so he's no pro just yet, but woods time and some patience I believe I'll have a sure enough treedog by the end of this season. Here is his pic. I sure like the little guy. I think he'll turn out to hunt pretty good, if not he's a great dog anyway.