Today, rare dog breeds are often treated like princesses—dressed in snazzy sweaters, carried around in designer purses, and fed Puppy Prozac. But it wasn’t always that way. Throughout history, specialized dogs have been used for everything from rescuing travelers from the wintry slopes of the Swiss Alps to fighting in the gladiator ring to acting as a purgatory for wayward souls awaiting reincarnation. Maybe those funny looking dogs aren’t so silly after all …
1. Lhasa Apso
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Lhasa Apsos’ flowing hair and big brown eyes may make them look pretty sweet, but these dogs definitely have a tough side. They’ve acted as guard dogs for the Dalai Lama and other important Tibetans since 800 B.C.E. Named after Tibet’s capital city, Lhasa Apsos use their keen sense of hearing to alert their family if something is amiss in the home.
The dogs are truly treasured in Buddhist culture, not only because they keep their family safe, but also because Buddhists believe the souls of deceased lamas can reside in Lhasa Apsos while they’re waiting to be reincarnated into a human body. Since it’s been a Tibetan practice never to sell Lhasa Apsos (they can only be given as gifts), it wasn’t until the twentieth century that the breed was seen by the western world.
2. Komondor
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The Komondor is a Hungarian breed of dog that has a very distinctive, corded coat that closely resembles dreadlocks. Although their origins are debated, many believe this breed made its way to Hungary with the Cumans, a nomadic people who settled in Hungary and became the Magyars, the founders of modern Hungarian culture in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
What is agreed upon about Komondors is that their exceptionally thick coat wasn’t just bred to look neat, but it must have developed to protect the dog during very extreme weather conditions; their dreadlocks keep the Komondors warm during the winter and cool during the summer. Their coats also make them ideal herding dogs; they can be outside on long cold nights to watch the herd (their cousin, the Puli, would watch during the day … see number ten), the thickness of their coats protect them from predators, and their light coloring allows them to blend in with the sheep and other livestock they are herding.
Sadly, during World War II, many of the dogs were killed because the Komondors were so protective of their families and farms, invading German and Russian forces were forced to kill the dogs before they could capture the farms. Today, the Komondor has been declared a National Treasure of Hungary, and the breed is protected under federal law.
3. Portuguese Water Dog
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Most breeders believe the Portuguese Water Dog originated in the Central-Asian steppe around 700 B.C.E. where they were bred in the rugged terrain to oversee livestock. From there, the theories begin to differ. One theory is that Berbers captured a few Portuguese Water Dogs during their conquests of the area and their decedents, the Moors, brought them to Portugal in the eighth century.
Although it’s up for discussion how they got there, once the dogs arrived in Portugal, their boundless energy and sweet temperament were put to good use as harbor dogs that collected broken nets for fisherman and delivered packages from one ship to another.
Although the breed has always been popular as a family dog in Europe, it hasn’t always been so in the United States. But all that changed when President and First Lady Obama fulfilled a promise they made to their two daughters and adopted a Portuguese Water Dog puppy named Bo.
4. Bedlington Terrier
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The Bedlington Terrier is often described as a “lamb on a leash” because its unique blond, curly hair and soft, round features give it an uncanny resemblance to the farm animal. Although it may look sheepish, the breed’s history is anything but. The Bedlington Terrier’s ancestors may have originated from Rothbury Terriers, dogs that were bred by gypsies who lived in the Rothbury Forest in England in the eighteenth century. In 1825, Rothbury Terriers caught the interest of Joseph Ansley of Bedlington, England who bred the Rothbury Terriers into the Bedlington Terrier that year.
Because Bedlington Terriers are incredibly fast and skilled trackers, they became exceptionally popular in the nineteenth century as hunting dogs. They were also used by miners working in the Bedlington Mining Shire as exterminators; since the dogs are so fast, they were able to catch even the tiniest rats and vermin that plagued the mines.
