At the edge of a sand arena, two Catahoula leopard dogs hang suspended in mid-air, legs cartoonishly churning as they’re held by two squatting men. It's a hot and dusty Saturday afternoon at the Winnfield Fairgrounds in the third week of March. Bees, barefooted children, and “hog dog” trainers from as far as France and Australia swarm the surrounding wooden bleachers.
A gate swings open and a feral hog trots out. The men let go. The dogs, Goose and Max, hurl themselves with abandon.
For four minutes, the barks don’t stop, as the canine duo plant themselves within two feet of a beast twice their size, attempting to keep it from moving, or at “bay.”