A Mountain Feist is a type of dog; like the lurcher

Lurcher

The lurcher is a type of dog originating in Ireland and parts of Great Britain. While not a pure breed, it is generally a cross between a sighthound and any other breed, usually a pastoral dog or terrier, dependent on the attributes desired by the breeder; originally stealth and cunning...

, it is not a specific breed. The Mountain Feist was created in the southern portion of North America. It can be a mixed breed, and is sometimes mistaken for a rat terrier

Rat Terrier

The Rat Terrier is an American dog breed with a rich and varied background as an all-around farm dog and hunting companion. Traditionally more of a type than a breed, they share much ancestry with the tough little mixed-breed dogs known as feists...

 or a Jack Russell terrier

Jack Russell Terrier

The Jack Russell terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting. It is principally white-bodied smooth, rough or broken-coated which is commonly confused with the Parson Russell terrier and the Russell terrier with the term "Jack Russell" commonly misapplied to other small white...

.
The ancestral homeland of the Mountain Feist is the Southern Appalachian and Ozark Mountains. Written accounts of the dogs go back centuries to a poem by Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 ("The Bear Hunt") and George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

's diary. A feist dog is also featured in William Faulkner

William Faulkner

William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...

's "Go Down Moses".

It is uncertain how long feist dogs have been in America but it is generally accepted that they played a vital role in the lives of early pioneers

American pioneer

American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...

 just like their larger relatives, cur

Cur

Cur as slang refers to a type of random-bred, or mixed-breed dog. This article deals with Cur as a breed.-Etymology:The derivation of the word "cur" dates from the 13th century. It is thought to be short for the Middle English "curdogge", which derives from the word "curren", meaning "to growl"...

s.

Appearance

Mountain Feists are visually appealing dogs. They have a good body length and stand about 15 to 17 inches high. They have a variety of colors but are mainly a light brown, black, and white. They have long pointy ears that stand upwards and button ears that fold over.

Temperament

Mountain Feists are curious, intelligent and physically active dogs which are suited for hunting and as companion dogs. They are very protective around the people they know best. Mainly used as a squirrel dog, the Mountain Feist is also good at hunting raccoons and tracking larger game.