The Official Dog of Texas

Did you know there is an Official Dog of Texas? Declared the official dog breed of Texas on May 25, 2005, the Blue Lacy is the only breed of dog that originated in Texas. Also referred to as Lacy Dog, Lacy Hog Dog, Blue Lacy Game Dog, Texas Blue Lacy Game Dog and the Texas State Dog. 


The beginnings of the Blue Lacy breed date to 1858, when the Lacy brothers from Granite Mountain, near the present-day Texas city of Marble Falls, were looking for a dog tough enough to handle the job of herding and gathering  hogs on their free-range hog and cattle ranch. Over time, the brothers refined the breed, developing a high-energy dog that is happiest when it has a job, whether it's herding hogs, cattle or following a scent trail. Powerful and very intelligent, it is a common saying that one Blue Lacy can do the work of five mounted cowboys. Though the exact mix is unclear, historical documents say they are a mix of greyhound, English Shepherd (or scent-hound) and a wolf or coyote.

The decline of the family owned ranching industry along with new technologies brought the Lacy Dog near extinction; however it's rediscovery in the mid 1970s as a masterful hunting companion and search-and-rescue dog has dramatically increased the demand for Lacys. They are now the most common breed used by United States Trappers. The recent explosion of Texas' feral hog population has also helped boost the dogs' popularity as hunting companion.


To learn more about this breed, visit http://bluelacydogs.org/