Bay Apache Catahoulas

I was born and raised in southern Oklahoma. We lived near a small town called Talihina, at the foot of the Kiamichi Mountains. I first encountered the catahoula as a small boy while helping round up cattle with my dad and neighboring ranchers. An old cowboy named Gib Barron gave me 3 catahoulas one time. I penned them up in an old sheep pen. The next day they were gone. They had got out and went 18 miles back home to Gib's. In my teens I worked on a ranch. Gathering cattle on horseback could be very grueling as the cattle would often head to the briars and brush where a horse could not go. The dogs would go in after them and pretty soon out would come a cow or bull with a catahoula attached to the nose. They were very gritty dogs and when it came time to take care of business, the catahoula knew how to get it done. After high school I became a ranch foreman for a man named JW Hines. I found a new responsibility in being in charge of an operation that ran about 3000 head of cattle. But I soon felt myself being pulled. I needed to pursue my real dream, which was bull riding. I started riding steers at the earlier age of 9, moving on to Jr. Bulls, then to bulls thru high school. I went pro in 1985 and traveled all over the U.S. until meeting my now wife, Missi. I retired 2 years after we were married, and we settled down in Missouri. Our daughter Callie was born 2 years later. We have always said she knew how to ride a horse before she could walk. I soon began hauling her to youth rodeos, where she competed in barrel racing, poles, goat tying, and breakaway and yes she even rode a few steers! Barrel racing has always been her first love where she became a champion at the early age of 9. We soon began training and selling barrel horses. It was at that time that I introduced the catahoula to my family. I needed a dog to help me in the pasture gathering horses. We purchased a male dog which we named Hondo from Lewis & Judy Smith in Elkhart, TX. He went with us everywhere, rodeos, barrel practice in the arena, out to pasture, hunting, you name it Hondo came along. We went to our fist NALC show in 2006. First hog-baying I had ever attended. Hondo walked away with Reserve-High Point Male. I was hooked. It had been quite a few years since anything had been able to replace the adrenaline rush of riding bulls. I had now found that adreline rush again in the bay pen, I was hooked. From there the rest is history. We have now added to our barrel horse training operation a small kennel where we train baying, hunting, and working cattle dogs. I have never found a more versatile dog than the catahoula. If you already own one, you know what I am talking about. If you don't I invite you take a look at these dogs. We feel you will enjoy them as much as we do. Feel free to browse and look around, and give us a call if there is anything we can help you with. We are never at a loss for words when it comes to talking dogs or horses Hoyt, Missi & Callie Ferguson