Deer blood in dog kibble is part of the process of turning a puppy into a tracking dog, but Boone, a catahoula leopard dog, didn’t need it.
When Boone joined Brooke Holcombe’s life in 2019, he was meant to be a companion, at most a guard dog. But what started with one puppy became the foundation of a growing family and a side business rooted in instinct and connection for the Holcombes, who live in Winterville.
Brooke graduated from UGA in 2019, and right after the ceremony, she drove to Calhoun to pick up Boone, her new catahoula leopard dog. Later that night, she had a date with her now-husband, Lucas Holcombe.
It was love at first sight for Lucas.
Whether it was Boone or Brooke is still unclear.
“I always joke around about how Lucas and Boone came home on the same day and neither of them left,” Brooke said.
Lucas had a generational connection with hunting dogs.
When Lucas’ father died during his teenage years, his grandfather Aubrey “Daddy Rabbit” Holcombe, a nationally recognized rabbit hunter and beagle trainer, took him under his wing. With hundreds of trophies and three Hall of Fame dogs, Daddy Rabbit instilled in Lucas a lifelong love.
“It’s almost like I couldn’t help it but to be involved with dogs in some kind of way,” Lucas said. “Growing up, seeing all those trophies. I was just infatuated with it.”
Lucas said he’s had a variety of hunting dogs throughout his life, but Boone is different.
Boone’s tracking career began when Lucas shot a deer that ran into the woods. On a whim, Lucas decided to let Boone loose.
“Before I even had him out of the car, he was running me through the woods,” Lucas said. “He led me right to the deer. After that, I was like, ‘I might have something.’”
Wounded deer release a scent from the interdigital gland between their hooves, which dogs are trained to track.
But Boone didn’t need any formal training.
His instincts kicked in.
“He’s a one-of-a-kind dog,” Lucas said. “It really all depends on the dog, because if that dog ain't gonna hunt, it ain’t gonna hunt.”
Lucas and Brooke credit Boone’s abilities to his strong personality. Brooke said Boone’s talents have always been “somewhere deep down” inside of him, and Lucas was the right person to bring it out of him.
“I love that dog so much. It’s great because I get to see how Lucas loves him so much and how he invests in Boone,” Brooke said. “They live by their own rules; they fly by the seat of their pants.”
Lucas has continued to train Boone, and began advertising free tracking services on Facebook in November 2024 to refine Boone’s skill set. Soon, Lucas saw an opportunity for profit and now tracks with Boone as a side gig.
“I’d love him to death if he never made me another dollar,” Lucas said. “But, he’s made me a decent amount of money this year.”
The success Lucas found within Boone as a hunting dog led the couple to invest in a second Catahoula in December: Delta Dawn.
Unlike Boone, Delta Dawn’s exposure to tracking started before she even came home with Lucas and Brooke. Her breeder mixed deer blood into the puppies’ kibble.
Lucas balances training Delta Dawn, tracking with Boone and taking care of a toddler with a full-time job as the turf manager for the University of Georgia baseball program and assistant turf manager for Georgia football.
“I get to fill my cup with sports. And then when I'm off, I try to get outside and get with my dogs, fill my outdoor cup,” Lucas said. “And then on Sundays, I go to church and fill my Jesus cup.”
Boone has proved to be more than a hunting dog. He is the cornerstone of the Holcombe family.
Lucas and Brooke welcomed a son, Stetson, in June of 2023, and Boone has been a “godsend,” Brooke said.
“To watch this dog that I love so much, and that has been my best friend, become my son's best friend,” Brooke said. “He's just such a good, good dog.”