Tesem: Ancient Egyptian Hunting Dog

The now-extinct Tesem (a type of dog - not a breed) is one of the earliest known domesticated dogs.

Images of the Tesem have been found on ancient Egyptian artifacts and hieroglyphics dating back to 3200 BC. The Tesem, which roughly translates to hunting dog, was a hunter, guard and companion. This greyhound-like dog had a lean body, long legs, prick ears and a curled tail. Two notable dogs were Akbaru, who belonged to King Khufu (2589-2566 BC) and was said to have been buried in the king's tomb with him, and Abuwtiyuw, who was believed to be a royal guard dog during the Sixth Dynasty (2345-2181 BC) belonging to a servant of a King whose name is unknown. Abuwtiyuw received an elaborate burial fit for a king, and his stele reads:

"His Majesty ordered that he be buried ceremonially, that he be given a coffin from the royal treasury, fine linen in great quantity, and incense. His Majesty also gave perfumed ointment and ordered that a tomb be built for him by the gangs of masons. His Majesty did this for him in order that he [the dog] might be honored before the great god, Anubis." (Hobgood-Oster, 41-42).

It is believed that both the Africanis and Basenji are descendants of the Tesem, and the Tesem influenced the development of sighthounds such as the Saluki, Sloughi and Azawakh.

Woolly Dogs: Bred for Their Fur

Salish wool dogs, also known as woolly dogs, became famous in history for their fur which was spun into yarn. As times changed, the breed became extinct.

The Coast Salish peoples are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest coastal areas of northern Washington State and southern British Columbia, and are particularly notable for their finely woven blankets. Before the Europeans arrived, the blankets were important items and were high in trade value. As well as having a functional use, the blankets were important in ceremonies such as marriages and funerals.

Two distinct types of native dogs found on those parts included one resembling a coyote and the other, the Salish wool dog, resembling a cross between a small dog and a version of a northern spitz. The coyote-resembling dog was used mostly for hunting and the woolly dog was bred and kept for the production of wool from its thick soft inner coat. The woolly dogs were sheared once a year and the fur was mixed with different materials for weaving blankets and other textiles.

The first observations of Salish wool dogs appear in 1792 by explorer Captain George Vancouver. He described the numerous dogs "...much resembled those of Pomerania, though in general somewhat larger. ...were all shorn as close to the skin as sheep...and so compact were their fleeces, that large portions could be lifted up by a corner without causing any separation. ...composed of a mixture of a coarse kind of wool, with very fine long hair, capable of being spun into yarn."

The dogs were reported to be corralled on small islands off the coast to prevent interbreeding with the short-haired village dogs, and the women of the village were responsible for them. They would feed the dogs a diet consisting mainly of raw and cooked salmon, an excellent source of food for the dog's coat, and they would shear their thick fleeces during the spring months.

In recent years, scientists debated whether textiles made by the Salish weavers were made of dog hair as oral histories have claimed. Now, DNA analysis prove they were. Dr. Caroline Solazzo, who led the research, said evidence of dog hair was found in textiles produced before 1862 and none of the textiles were made entirely of dog hair. The dog hair appeared to have been used to supplement mountain goat hair, possibly as a bulking material. It is believed that dog hair mixed with goat wool was used in every day textiles and only goat hair was used in ceremonial textiles. According to Dr. Solazzo "It may have been the case that pure dog hair blankets were once more common, but considered of lower value and consumed in use and lost."

When the Europeans arrived in North America the Salish wool dog was edged into extinction due to the introduction of sheep and large scale machinery brought by European settlers. When the dog's wool was no longer required, they began to interbreed with imported European dogs and their unique individuality was lost. The breed is believed to have been extinct since the mid 19th century.

Peter Simpson, in his chapter in Shadows of Our Ancestors: Readings in the History of Klallam-White Relations, reports "With the arrival of the Hudson’s Bay Company and their even-then-famous blankets, the tribes neglected their isolated breeding of wool dogs which soon became mongrelized and their fur unworkable."

Hawaiian Poi Dog: A Protector and a Delicacy

The Hawaiian poi dog became famous in history as a protector of children and as a delicacy for the male natives of Hawaii. As times changed, the breed became extinct.

The dogs, along with hogs, were brought to Hawaii with the first Polynesian settlers between 300 and 800 AD. The island did not have large land mammals so the poi dogs were not needed for herding or hunting. Instead, they lived among the tribes as companions, were spiritual protectors of the children, and were also a source of food for the natives.

A puppy was often given to an infant at birth, and there are accounts of the baby and the puppy being breastfed together, which they believed would give the dog more protective instincts. If a child died before the dog, the dog would be killed and buried with the child's body. If the child out-lived the dog, a necklace would be made of the dog's teeth as a good luck charm for the child.

The Hawaiian poi dog got its name from poi, a common Hawaiian food made from fermented and pounded taro roots. Because meat was too valuable to be used as dog food, the dogs were fed poi. The starchy diet caused a number of health problems. It caused the dogs to become fat with distended bellies, lazy, clumsy and not very smart. They were friendly and liked to play with the children, but they were slow and would run out of energy quickly. They seldom barked and were often found waddling around with the hogs. The dogs were malnourished mainly due to the lack of protein in their diet, and it is believed their heads became flat over the years because the pasty poi did not require strong jaw muscles for chewing.

The people were fond of their dogs, but they saw no wrongdoing making a meal out of them like they would with their hogs. The meat of the poi dog was actually considered a delicacy and would be eaten at feasts and religious festivals, but only the men were allowed to consume the meat.

By the early 20th century, the breed became extinct as the native religion was abandoned and eating dog meat was looked down on from missionaries and other westerners. The Hawaiian poi dogs began to breed with dogs of European settlers and were gradually displaced by cross breeds.

In the 1960s, a dog that closely resembled the poi dog created enough interest to try and revive the breed by the Honolulu Zoo. After 12 years, the attempt was deemed a failure and the program was discontinued.

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Turnspit Dog: Bred to Work in the Kitchen

Turnspit dogs became famous in history for the hard work they endured in many kitchens. When no longer needed, they became extinct.

The turnspit dog, also known as the cooking dog and kitchen dog, was bred to walk on a wheel called a turnspit to turn meat so it would cook evenly. The breed was popular in England and, to a lesser extent, America from the 16th century to the late 19th century. Though it is unsure when the first turnspit dog appeared, the first mention of them was in a 1576 book titled Of Englishe Dogs by John Caius. According to Caius, the turnspit was "so low on the social order, nobody took account of them", leaving their history spotty.

Turnspit dog in wheel (upper right corner) turning meat

Turnspits were viewed as kitchen utensils and pieces of machinery rather than as dogs. They were specially bred to have long bodies and short powerful legs to provide a source of power. The dog was placed on a wooden wheel, usually mounted high on the wall. A chain was attached to the wheel and spit so when the dog walked the spit would turn. Turnspit dogs were used mostly in bars and large kitchens, and were forced to walk for hours. Cruel methods were used to keep the dog moving fast and to keep the dog from stopping, like tossing a hot coal into the wheel or applying a collar that would choke the dog if he did not move.

Turnspit dogs usually had Sundays off and would go to church with their families to be used as foot warmers. One story, told in The Annals of Bath, shows the level of abuse these dogs endured. It says that during a church service, the preacher uttered the line "It was then that Ezekiel saw the wheel..." and the dogs bolted for the door at the mention of the word wheel. In the 1850s, Henry Bergh - the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) - was appalled by the way these dogs were being treated. The cruel treatment turnspits were subjected to is reportedly what inspired Bergh to start the ASPCA.

Turnspit dogs were ultimately replaced with cheap mechanical spit turning machines called clock jacks. The dogs were no longer needed in the kitchen and it became a stigma of poverty to have one. They were described as ugly crooked-legged dogs with an unhappy look about them so nobody wanted to keep one as a pet. By the end of the 19th century the breed was officially declared extinct.

Whiskey

A taxidermy dog named Whiskey is the last surviving specimen of a turnspit dog at the Abergavenny Museum in Wales. Some believe the turnspit dog is a relative of the Welsh corgi.

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