# Dog Breeds That Time Forgot (article from the BBC)



## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

The Kennel Club (UK) Breed Standards book is also an interesting read for current breeds at risk of disappearing as well, most due to original functions of the dogs not being practiced any more (some forms of hunting).









The eccentric dog breeds that vanished


From a vegetarian dog to a walking piece of kitchen equipment, the world was once home to an abundance of strange hounds. Where have they gone – and could we bring them back?




www.bbc.com


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## Deere (Jun 25, 2021)

Thte


scooterscout99 said:


> The Kennel Club (UK) Breed Standards book is also an interesting read for current breeds at risk of disappearing as well, most due to original functions of the dogs not being practiced any more (some forms of hunting).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The article was very interesting, thank you for sharing.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Always a good reminder that breeds are a modern invention subject to change. What a miserable life for the turnspit dogs, straight out of The Flintstones.


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## Deere (Jun 25, 2021)

Liz said:


> Always a good reminder that breeds are a modern invention subject to change. What a miserable life for the turnspit dogs, straight out of The Flintstones.


That is the truth!!


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

Very interesting article. Thanks


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I read somewhere once that much of the American dog population was replaced by European dogs during colonization, similar to what happened to the Poi. A few pockets of indigenous dogs remained: Chihuahuas, Peruvian hairless, some of the arctic dogs. Some of them survived as free ranging dogs, like the Carolina dog. I wonder if well meaning animal control and adoption campaigns put some of these remaining populations at risk.


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## Brownie_mom (Dec 1, 2020)

Xoloitzcuintli is one more indigenous dog. I was seriously considering this dog and even met the breeder, but realized that it may be too much to take on. Gorgeous animals.


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## spicandspan (Apr 21, 2018)

Really interesting reading. I had to look up how Barry the first St. Bernard was altered. Apparently when his taxidermied body was restored, they changed the shape of his skull so that it more closely resembled modern St. Bernards.


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## Oonapup (Oct 16, 2020)

Really interesting to learn about these extinct breeds. It's also fascinating to see how bound up dog breeds became with new uses under industrialism and capitalism. And how our dominant view of dogs as primarily pets, family members and companions is an even newer emergence (as the dominant view anyway). Under our current logic, there is little incentive to preserve breeds for purposes and plenty of pressure to sell cute pet companions. It puts the work of the conservation of breed standards in perspective as an almost-impossible task, especially for less popular breeds.


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## Vee (Mar 2, 2018)

Good article. I love the history of dogs. The turnspit not so much, poor thing🙁 the number of Sealyhams are slowly increasing, there are more vulnerable breeds like the otterhound only 7 puppies were registered last year! The tweed water spaniel which helped create the golden retriever and English white terrier which is believe to be in the make up of the Sealyham are two other of our breeds I know of that went extinct. It’s great they’re are breeders trying to keep these breeds going. Some breeds have changed so much it’s like extinction like the bull terrier, bulldog and Bassett a century ago actually looked fit for function


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## Sylvia K (Feb 4, 2021)

I just wrote quite a detailed response here - then somehow it disappeared!!! Don't know what I did. Anyway, basically and in condensed form, this is a really interesting article. Particularly realising that the Polynesians regarded their Poi dogs primarily as friends and companions at a time when most other societies treated dogs as mostly utilitarian. It's pretty sad to realise that some/many of our current breeds continued existence depends pretty much on human capriciousness. For some breeds, this may be a welcome respite from the unreasonable demands made on their poor bodies by the insistence of some of the breed 'standards'. I have also read in the past, that if left to their own devices, nearly all dogs would revert back to the old 'brown village dog' after only a few generations. Fascinating stuff.


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

Sylvia K said:


> I just wrote quite a detailed response here - then somehow it disappeared!!! Don't know what I did. Anyway, basically and in condensed form, this is a really interesting article. Particularly realising that the Polynesians regarded their Poi dogs primarily as friends and companions at a time when most other societies treated dogs as mostly utilitarian. It's pretty sad to realise that some/many of our current breeds continued existence depends pretty much on human capriciousness. For some breeds, this may be a welcome respite from the unreasonable demands made on their poor bodies by the insistence of some of the breed 'standards'. I have also read in the past, that if left to their own devices, nearly all dogs would revert back to the old 'brown village dog' after only a few generations. Fascinating stuff.


That is interesting and I wonder if it’s partly why everybody says their shelters only have pit bull mixes. 50ish pound (usually brown) dog. I have one, and with dna testing, he’s only a third pit bull, more chow but doesn’t look it.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Great article about excentric dog breeds that vanished! Thanks so much. The coloring and markings of the Hare Indian Dog from Canada in the illustration fascinated me.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

kontiki said:


> Great article about excentric dog breeds that vanished! Thanks so much. The coloring and markings of the Hare Indian Dog from Canada in the illustration fascinated me.


I know somebody who has one of those! I didn't know what it was, but he said he got the dog from one of the Indian reservations up north (Minnesota). We all said the dog looked like a coyote, but this is what it was.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I hate to hear or read of any creature becoming extinct. Years ago I had had an interesting conversation with a government expert, can’t recall whether it was the EPA or Fish and Wildlife. She pointed out that we seem to have a prejudice about saving furry mammals, versus insects, birds, reptiles or fish. I confess to thinking Pandas are one of the most adorable animals in the world. A friend pointed out how incredibly artificial and costly it is to sustain them. Cute and popular wins in the extinction gambit. Personally, I think we should keep Xian’s Qi Ji as recompense for the Pandemic. ( Baby born to a geriatric mother at the Washington National Zoo.) We have a lease arrangement with China. Google “What animals became extinct in 2020?” None were dog breeds.


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