Painted Dogs

Painted dogs are canines but they are not dogs. They are in a family that long predates the emergence of dogs. Their territory is north from Botswana, following a north-north-east line along the Rift Valley and branching out west into Central Africa.

I was thinking about painted dogs today, not remembering that I had a photo of one on my hard drive. And what was the chance I would look at this particular set of photos this evening?

I was thinking about how their colouring is so varied and yet they are not Heinz 57, mongrels but rather a specific breed that has a huge variation in colouring. In fact, the Painted dog or African wild dog as it is also known, has one of the most varied coat colours of any mammal.