11h • Breed of the Week
The Potcake Dog
What happens when humans and dogs simply coexist instead of working together? This question can be answered with the Potcake dog. This breed is found in the Bahamas and is neither wild nor owned, especially in the beginning. Some sources say the breed started 1500 years ago when the Arawak people brought their dogs to the Bahamas then the arrival of settlers introduced their purpose bred dogs many centuries later but we don’t actually know for sure their origin. All of these imported dogs are thought to have interbred with the local dogs and then each other for generations.
The Potcake formed over generations not for a job to work alongside humans but to survive despite them and without them. The physical characteristics that developed were only to survive their environment. The smooth coat with no undercoat for the tropical heat, their long faces to help search and forage for food, their athletic builds to help access the terrain and probably most important their robust health to survive with little to no veterinary care. This combination of adaptability has led the Potcake to be able to digest a variety of food without becoming ill and to be flexible to their environment.
Their personality is surprisingly compatible with humans given how independent they live compared to most dogs in the world. Their unique living situation has still granted them the opportunity to develop the ability to know which humans may be approachable for food or pets and which ones to avoid. While I have not met one myself, this does not mean every single Potcake you meet will be nice, as they do vary in how feral they are, so be aware if you ever meet one.
How the Potcake dog earned their name is from what they were fed. The locals would feed the thickened rice and peas from the bottom of the pot that they would scrape off and feed the dogs that learned to wait by the door. Locally they are known as Sato, Agouti dog and Island Dog but Potcake has become and internationally recognized name that is used by rescue organizations that remove some of the dogs to put up for adoption in an effort to help with local populations.
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The Potcake Dog
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