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Sunday, October 23, 2016

World's Rarest Dog Breeds

Well, dogs as many of you may know, come in many different varieties. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. All of them bred for different purposes. For example, chihuahuas were bred for cuddling and keeping their owners warm. Border collies were bred for herding livestock. Foxhounds and the like were bred for hunting. Terriers were bred for hunting and ridding farm areas of vermin. Well, these are some of the rarest dog breeds in the world today. Many of these breeds are so rare for different reasons. Mostly because they do not make good house pets. I will discuss each breed on this post.

1. Levesque
This is perhaps the rarest dog around today. It is rapidly becoming extinct. They were never very popular breeds, even in their heyday. They never gained any popularity because they are workaholics who would typically escape from their grounds to chase game, often getting into mischief and even killed by some game animals. This breed is so rare, that this is the only really known picture of this breed and it is probably already extinct outside of it's home country of France.








2. Billy
Almost unknown outside of France, which is where this breed originated. Like the Levesque, these hounds are not good family pets. They are very active and not hesitant to follow it's nose when it picks up on something interesting. Though they are not extinct, probably less than 50 individuals are registered annually through the FCI.








3. Kerry Beagle
This is a large dog that resembles the English Beagle in a lot of ways, but it comes from Kerry County in Ireland. Like the Levesque and the Billy, these animals are workaholics. But they also make good family pets, unlike the others. Though they can be loud. They often howl loudly when they are on the trail of their intended game. Like other beagle breeds, they love to hunt rabbits and hares.







4. Tayra
This is a very little-known greyhound-type dog. They originated in Turkey, and were used for hunting deer and antelope, as well as hare. They are also workaholics, and the added issue is they are very fast, like all greyhounds. These dogs are so rare that no reputable kennel club registry recognizes them as a distinct breed.






5. Aidi
The national dog of Morocco, but it is almost unknown outside of it's home country. The Aidi, also known as the Chein d'atlas or Atlas sheepdog, is a working dog that was bred to guard flocks of sheep and goats and protect them against predators like wolves and leopards. This is a large, strong, brave dog, but it's whole life centers on protection. Even to the point where they do not get along with other dogs, and sometimes might attack their owner's friends. This is the contributing factor to the rarity of this breed.






6. Armant
Also called the Egyptian Sheepdog, this breed is extremely rare, even within it's homeland of Egypt. As its name suggests, it is a breed used to herd sheep and goats. The reason it is rare nowadays is because Egypt does not have a national kennel club of its own, so the breeding of these dogs has not been documented or regulated by a standard, and chances are it was mongrelized out of existence.



7. Soft-Coated Griffon
If you'd been studying dogs as long and deeply as I have, you'd know that usually the word "griffon" refers to gun dogs and hounds that have long, hard, wiry hair. This is not the case for the soft-coated griffon. Also known as the "boulet griffon", this was the first breed to be registered by the FCI. Ironically now it is extremely rare and possibly extinct. By 1984, the breed was removed from the FCI's list of recognized breeds. A revival program was started later on, by a man named Phillipe Seguela, and he had created near-perfect replicas of the old breed, but unfortunately he lost interest and abandoned the project in the early 1990s.


8. Prazsky Krysavik
Also known as the "Prague ratter", this is a toy terrier native to the Prague region of Czechoslovakia. It is rare outside of it's homeland because for years Czechoslovakia was behind the iron curtain, and that also meant livestock could not go in or out, including dogs. This dog was mostly used by apartment dwellers to rid the home of rats and mice. Today, it is still unknown outside of it's home country.



9. Markiesje
A breed created in the Netherlands, this is also known as the Dutch Tulip Hound. It is actually a spaniel-type dog, not a hound. It has only just been recognized as an official breed by the Dutch National Kennel Club. It is rare outside of it's country, because it has only been recognized recently. This breed though is believed to date back to the 15th century. It is an active dog, but has been known to make a nice family pet.



10. Telomian
A very rare pariah-type dog, This breed is not really recognized by any major kennel club, therefore is not regulated or documented. This breed originated in Indonesia, and often is not kept within the family unit, so they often run wild in their homeland, which may explain why this breed is so rare. Though they are classed as a companion dog, they are also great for hunting.






11. Lithuanian Hound
This breed is extremely rare today outside of it's home country. They are used to hunt big game like hogs. During the hunting season of the late 70s and early 80s, many individuals of this breed was killed by wild boar in fact, which was the major contribution to the rarity of this breed. The breed never quite recovered from that, and today is extremely rare.




12. Skye Terrier
One of the oldest of the British terriers, the skye terrier was also once one of the most popular. Today, it is falling by the wayside. I had a skye terrier when I was a kid, a black one named Sir Knight. I know he was a skye terrier because when he got older, he looked just like the dog in this picture. Like all terriers, they are feisty, and powerful for their size. I remember back in 1999, I saw an ad in the local newspaper, someone was giving a skye away because it killed his cat. So, socialization is very important. There is believed to be only 5000 of these left in the world.


13. Otterhound
Though this is a cuddly-looking hound, they are also vicious hunters of otters. This breed was developed with webbed feet and a waterproof coat to aid in hunting for otters. Today, otters are rare in Great Britain, and protected in the USA, so otterhounds are not really needed for their original task. Thus the breed is now facing extinction. There have been less than 100 registered through AKC annually over the last few years. Because these dogs are specialized workaholics, they do not make the greatest family pets, which is why they are becoming extinct.






Well, that is my take on the rarest dog breeds in the world today. To learn more about these breeds, and many other breeds both common and exotic, take a look at our book "Encyclopedia of the World of Dogs" at UMG Productions.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I’m so happy the Otterhound is included in this list. It is one of the few dog breeds that have been developed through the years to have a distinct webbed feet, which is part of the normal anatomical structure of its feet. If you want to learn more about webbed feet in dogs, check this very informative article: http://dogsaholic.com/care/dogs-with-webbed-feet.html