Extinct Dog Breed - the Techichi

Modern Chihauhua - some believe the Tachichi is in the modern Chi's ancestry

This month I want to feature the Techichi - an ancestor to the Chihauhua of today. I've found in my research that Mexican breeds have a very long, very rich, and sometimes very disturbing history. The Techichi does not disappoint!

My excerpt from Morris' book "Dogs: the Ultimate History of 1000+ Breeds" describes the Techichi as...

Also known as the Small Indian Dog, this breed was primarily used as a source of food by Indian tribes in the Pre-Columbian Americas. Its Indian name is somteimtes given as Techichi. It has also been called the Carrier Dog, although acting as a beast of burden does not appear to have been one of its regular duties.

Okay - they were eating these little guys? That's a tad bit disturbing. Turns out, many other breeds were also lunch for some civilizations across the globe though. In my Morris book, there is a whole chapter for "edible dogs." Moving on...

A slender, small-headed, sharp-nosed, fox-like little dog, the Techichi extended its range into both North and South America, although Mexico seems to have been its stronghold. It was common among the native tribes of the east coast of North America, right across the southernmost parts, down into Central America and even into north-western South America.

The first European to encounter the Techichi was the Spanish explorer Francisco Hernandez, who reported its existence in 1578. He commented that the native Americans ate them as commonly as his own people ate rabbits. In other words, they were not specially reserved for sacrificial ritual or celebratory feasting, but were everyday-food items.

Sort of like a box of cereal for us today I guess?

It has been estimated that at least 100,000 Techichis must have been consumed by visiting Spaniards exploring the New World during expeditions. Not suprisingly, later travellers found few of these dogs, and by the 19th century they appear to have vanished altogether.

The rest of the story for the Techichi is sad actually. Apparently bred for only two reasons: for food and the puppies served as entertainment for children, the breed has gone extinct.

Artistic renderings of the Tachichi dogs of Mexico

Obscure Dog Breed of the Month

This month I will highlight a Russian herding dog; the Nenets Herding Laika.

First, "laika" is a Russian term used to describe Russian working dogs in general. The website, http://dogbreeds.bulldoginformation.com/, describes the Nenets Herding Laika as...

The Laika breeds are Russian working dogs of the Northern type. Laika is the Russian word for 'barker' or 'barking dog' and is derived from the verb 'layat', which means 'to bark'. The breed's name thus simply means 'a dog that barks' in Russian, referring to the fact that the hunting laikas are bark pointers, dogs selectively bred for their barking abilities.

Six breeds belong to this group: West Siberian Laika, East Siberian Laika, Russian European Laika and Karelo-Finnish Laika, Northeasterly Hauling Laika and Nenets Herding Laika. The first four are hunting dogs for bear, elk, forest birds, which are also occasionally used for pulling sleds; one is a herding dog (which can also pull sleds) and one, the Hauling Laika, is a pure sled dog.

They all have a tick, weather-resistant coat with woolly undercoat, a very strong and muscular neck and a feathered tail that is carried curled over the back when the dog is working.

The Nenets Herding Laika is a medium-sized working dog that owes its name to the Nentsy tribe, an ancient nomad tribe whose main activity is reindeer herding. The Nenets Laika looks very similar to the Samoyed, a dog developed under similar circumstances by the Samoyed people.

Their main distinctive feature is their coat color, which is solid or bicolored grey, tan, black or white for the Nenets dog, while pure white for the Samoyed.

Rare Dog Breed of the Month - The Mudi

Time for August's Rare Dog Breed of the Month! This month is another sheepherding breed from Hungary called the Mudi. It's a super cute little bugger too...


Excerpt from the Desmond Morris book Dogs describes the Mudi as...

The Mudi, sometimes referred to as the Hungarian Mudi or the Hungarian sheepdog. The breed's primary function is to herd sheep. It also has several secondary roles - controlling herds of cattle, destroying vermin on farms, acting as a watchdog and, on special occasions, hunting wild boar.

It's a rare breed, with probably no more than a few hundred in existence, the Mudi is hardly ever encountered outside its homeland of Hungary. Its rough, curly coat is usually solid black but may also be white or pied.

Although a valuable defence against the elements, its coarse hair gives this dog a strangely unkempt, untidy appearance. Traditionally its tail is docked to protect it when working. Interestingly, recent photographs of the breed in Hungary show specimens without docked tails.

This is the least-known of the indigenous Hungarian dogs and was not considered a separate breed until the 1930's when a careful study was made of the different types of sheepdog working in country districts. It was then given its modern name of Mudi by Dezso Fenyesi, the director of a local musum in the town of Balassagyarmat. He was the first person to take a special interst in the dog and to organize selective breeding in an attempt to stabilize it. Previously its breeding had been left entirely to shepherds and herdsmen and even today there are still some local variations in the appearance of the breed.