Panther Dog

The panther dog is an American extinct crossbreed dog developed in the 1800s to hunt cougars. It is the only breed known to have been specifically bred for hunting large felines other than the Rhodesian Ridgeback of South Africa, bred to combat the lion, though the Mastiff was used to fight lions in the Roman Ampitheatre. The Argentine Dogo is an all-round big game breed sometimes used on cougar.
History
Henry W. Shoemaker wrote in 1907, “Packs of panther dogs would soon spring up in the mountainous settlements, and the breeding of these animals would give an impetus to the canine industry in these regions. Small bulldogs are said to be best for this purpose, though many prefer the ordinary whippet or "fice". Aaron Hall, the "Lion Hunter of the Juniata", slayer of fifty panthers in Pennsylvania between 1845 and 1869, bred a race of panther dogs. They were part bulldog, part bloodhound, part Newfoundland, and part mastiff. They were so large that C. K. Sober, of Lewisburg, former State Game Commissioner, when on a visit to Hall at his hunting cabin on Rock Run, Centre County, was able to ride on the back of one of them. They were trained to hunt in pairs, and when the quarry was overtaken, to seize it by the ears on either side, holding the monster until the hunter appeared. With Hall's death, in 1892, this interesting breed of dog was allowed to become extinct.”
The hunting of cougars is still permitted in some American states, but the dogs are utilized to track the cat, tree it and bay to alert the hunter, rather than to engage the cougar in combat as the panther dog did.
The Panther Dog Placed In The Context Of Similar Breeds
Another breed based, like the panther dog, on the Bulldog - Mastiff cross is the Bullmastiff, used against poachers, as was the Boerboel, known to contain Rhodesian Ridgeback and Bullmastiff. The dogs used in Australian wild boar hunting (called pigging) are compounded of some of these breeds plus others, but have no universal formula. Dog breeds used specifically against the wolf are large sighthounds, rather than molosser mixes, as the panther dog was. It can only be a matter of speculation as to why the Newfoundland, a breed associated with aquatic rescue, should have been included in the breeding except for the addition of size, as a heavy coat could only be a detriment in heavy cover, as it was found to be in heavy snow when that breed was added to the St. Bernard.

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