The turnspit dog was bred to run on a wheel and roast meat, then went extinct

Illustration of a turnspit dog running inside a wheel to turn a roasting spit

The Turnspit Dog was a short-legged, long-bodied breed kept in English kitchens to run inside a wooden wheel connected to a roasting spit. First mentioned in 1576 as “Turnespete,” the breed was also known by several names: Kitchen Dog, Cooking Dog, or Wheeling Dog. In Linnaeus’…