Turnspit Dog

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Illustration, taken from Remarks on a Tour to North and South Wales, published in 1800. Notice the dog at work.

One who has all the work but none of the profit; he turns the spit but eats not of the roast. - E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897.

The Turnspit Dog is now extinct. It was a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed to run on a wheel, called a turnspit or dog wheel, to turn meat. It is mentioned in Of English Dogs in 1576 under the name Turnespete. Rev. W. Bingley's Memoirs of British Quadrapeds (1809) also talks of a dog employed to help chefs and cooks. It is also known as the Kitchen Dog, the Cooking Dog, the Underdog and the Vernepator. In Linnaeus's 18th century classification of dogs it is listed as Canis vertigus. The breed was lost since it was considered to be such a lowly and common dog that no one really kept track of it. They are related, many people think, to the Glen of Imaal Terrier.

The Vernepator Cur was bred to run on a wheel in order to turn meat so it would cook evenly. This took both courage (to stand near the fire) and loyalty (not to eat the roast!) In order not to overexert a dog with this hot and unpleasant work they were often kept in pairs, so that they could be worked in shifts. It is believed that this is the origin of the proverb 'every dog has his day.' -- They were also taken to church to serve foot warmers. One story says that during at a church in Bath, the Bishop of Gloucester, gave a sermon and uttered the line "It was then that Ezekiel saw the wheel..." at the mention of the word "wheel" several turnspit dogs, who had been brought to church as foot warmers, ran for the door.

Turnspit dogs look like Welsh Corgis with long bodies-- but they have drooping ears like the weimaraner. From the engravings they look to be about 25 - 35 lbs and possibly 14" to 16" tall. They were described as 'long-bodied, crooked-legged and ugly dogs, with a suspicious, unhappy look about them' in the old english dog book. Often, they are shown with a white stripe down the center of their faces.

[edit] References

Of English Dogs. 1576. ISBN 1-905124-05-8
Dogs : the ultimate dictionary of over 1,000 dog breeds by Desmond Morris. 2002. Publisheed by the Ebury Press in 2002 ISBN 0-09-187091-7
Memoirs of British Quadrupeds by Bingley, Rev W (illustrated from original drawings, chiefly by Samuel Howitt) 1809