A ... Turnspit dog was a short-legged dog bred brought into existence to serve a purpose much like the dinosaurs in Fred Flintstone’s universe. These squat, long-backed animals ran on wheels in kitchens to turn meat as it cooked. Extinct dog breeds are proof that pets can change with time as much as humans can—and in ways you never would have believed. The type is now extinct.It is mentioned in Of English Dogs in 1576 under the name "Turnespete". Only poor people who cannot afford servants were believed to own this dog. Hannah Penn, the wife of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, wrote to England requesting that the dog wheel for her turnspits be sent. Once they were no longer needed, the Turnspit went extinct. As for the Turnspit dog, the last known specimen was placed in a taxidermy exhibit at the Abergavenny Museum located in Wales. For a true Briton, the proper way was to spit roast it in front of an open fire, using a turnspit dog.". They were widely found in the 1750s and by the 1850s, they slowly began to be rare as spit-turning mac… The clanking of the spit. Additional features, photos, recipes and music can be found at kitchensisters.org. That's an example of how people can breed animals to suit particular needs.' The availability of cheap spit-turning machines, called clock jacks, brought about the demise of the turnspit dog. "Turnspit dogs were viewed as kitchen utensils, as pieces of machinery rather than as dogs," says Bondeson. The Sakhalin Husky holds the tenuous title of being the most recent dog to become extinct. "Charles Darwin commented on the dogs as an example of genetic engineering," she tells us. How big is this dog? This dog although evidently a mongrel appeared most closely related to terriers. The owner used to keep this dog on the wheel that is kept in height with closed bars, so they will not escape from there. In 1750 there were turnspits everywhere. Only poor people who cannot afford servants were believed to own this dog. When no longer needed, they became extinct. Anybody who has ever had the honor of owning a well-behaved dog knows this adage to be true. Turnspit Dog: The Turnspit Dog was a short-legged, long-bodied dog bred to run on a wheel, called a turnspit or dog wheel, to turn meat so that it would cook evenly. Turnspit Dog. "They were referred to as the kitchen dog, the cooking dog or the vernepator cur," says Caira Farrell, library and collections manager at the Kennel Club in London. The patter from the little dog's feet. It was also known for its long body and crooked legs. Your email address will not be published. The turnspit is a mechanical apparatus that allowed food to be cooked evenly over the fire. "Not because of any concern for their spiritual education," says Bondeson, "but because the dogs were useful as foot warmers.". hide caption. These dogs go extinct when they were replaced by machines. (archaic) A short-legged, long-bodied dog, now extinct, bred to run on a wheel to turn a spit. This breed was not kept as a family pet but if they were kept in a house with children, they were sure to make an excellent companion for children. If you follow the history of dogs, you'll see that many breeds come and go. Feeding . Which Dog Breed is Likely to Go Extinct Next? Im my opinion just because some dogs were not cared for properly or treated with enough care or attention doesn’t mean you have the right to say that the dog deserves to go extinct. The wheel was attached to a chain, which ran down to the spit. Descriptions of the dogs paint a rather mutty picture: small, low-bodied, short, crooked front legs, with a heavy head and drooping ears. What size is this breed? Other breeds like hunting dogs, herding dogs had an enjoyable life chasing game, herding animals, running in the field, etc, the Turnspit Dogs were forced to be in the smoky kitchen for hours running on the wheel. He describes somebody as being a "curtailed dog fit only to run in a wheel. By 1850 they had become scarce, and by 1900 they had disappeared. The extinction of these dogs though wasn’t abrupt. "The downtrodden, lumpen, proletariat turnspit cooking dogs may well be related to the queen's pampered royal pooches.". ", What kind of dog today is the closest to a turnspit dog? Turnspit Dog. "In the 1850s, the founder of the [Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] was appalled by the way the turnspit dogs were treated in the hotels of Manhattan," says Weaver. Open-fire roasting required constant attention from the cook and constant turning of the spit. ", "Curtailed means they've got their tails cut off," Sally Davis, of the Abergavenny Museum, says. And that's how the turnspit got its other name: vernepator cur, Latin for "the dog that turns the wheel.".