Outdoorshopping Blog

While visiting the local dog park, you may find yourself admiring the variety of breeds and “mutts” that you see, though this is likely a very small fraction of the numerous of dog breeds that exist. The American Kennel Club recognizes over 160 dog breeds, although there are many more with the occurrence of cross-breeding and the trend of “designer dogs” that have been cross-bred to promote desirable features. Some of these dogs are categorized into a “miscellaneous” category as the club works to fully recognize the breed and assign a category. Here are a few dog breeds that the average person has never seen, let alone heard of.

The Azawakh is a breed native to Africa that has a very thin stature and is very agile. This breed is used to hunt gazelles and rabbits found in the African savannah. While the Azawakh is known to be timid, this type of dog is very loyal and develops a close bond with its handler. In addition to having an incredible running endurance, the Azawakh can also withstand intense temperatures in the African heat.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia / GNU Free Documentation License

The New Guinea Singing Dog acquired its name due to its distinctive howling vocalizations, which are sung in unison around other dogs in its pack. This breed is short and compact, which helps it to climb the bark of trees in the forest. A characteristic unique to the singing dog is its reflective eyes, which allow it to see in low-light environments. The singing dog also has fur-lined erect ears, which allow it to direct the ears to different angles in order to pick up on very faint noises. There are only two known instances of the singing dog being found in the wild of New Guinea, despite being found throughout New Guinea in earlier years.

Possibly the rarest dog is the Telomian, a breed that originated in Malaysia and is a cousin to the New Guinea Singing Dog. Bred to fight off rats and other vermin, the Telomian developed a special climbing skill as they became accustomed to their environment - the indigenous Orang Asli people built their houses on stilts to avoid encounters with dangerous animals on the ground. This particular breed is suspected by some to be the missing link between the dingo and the basenji. Aside from the special skill of climbing that sets the Telomian apart from other breeds, it is also the only known Malaysian dog breed to live outside of its native land.

Despite the fact that these dogs are all considered to be rare, each of these breeds has been incorporated into the domestic dog world and is held to be man’s best friend somewhere in the world.