New Dog Dad but of what breed?

Cloe looks a lot like my late Esther. She was listed by the shelter as a Plott hound, but I could easily believe lab/rott mix. There was also a guy in our area (east central Wisconsin) who was crossing Rottweilers and Plott hounds - trying to make a better bear-hunting dog (because the Plotts bred since the18th century were not good-enough.)

If you look for images of Plotts, there are some that look very much like Cloe. Plotts have a howl that sounds like a portal has been opened, letting all the hellhounds out. You would probably notice that.

Here's a link to Esther's photos on this forum: Esther

Esther was about 75 pounds, immensely strong and quite a handful.

We've used Embark on three family dogs and have been very happy with their DNA and medical marker testing. I will always regret that we didn't get Esther tested. At one time, the breeds selection was more limited and Plotts are rare enough that they were not included. In some parts of the country they are more common. In Wisconsin, for example, people hunt black bears (though I can't imagine why) and Plotts are more common. They were bred to hunt bear, boar and other large game.