I was vaguely familiar with the idea of dogs being used to turn spits — but had no idea that (a) there was special breed of them, designed for the job, or that (b) the breed had died out after the introduction of mechanized rotisseries.
Human history can be odd (and offputting) sometimes.
The Curious Tale of Turnspit Dogs
Considering how most dogs in the Western world these days are treated as a member of the family, it’s often easy to forget that the vast majority of our furry friends up until very recently were bred for a specific purpose. Perhaps no dog was bred for a more specific purpose than the now extinct, turnspit. [&hellip
The Kitchen Sisters did a story about turnspit dogs on NPR a couple of years ago. I googled them to see what hey look like, and darned if they don't appear to be the ancestors of the corgi.
http://www.kitchensisters.org/hidden-kitchens/turnspit-dogs/
So I am just wondering if they were extinct since they were “put down” after being deemed “useless”?