Animal shelters, or what used to be known as pounds or dog pounds, are either governmental or private organizations that provide temporary homes for stray, surrendered, or abandoned pet animals. They most often house dogs and cats.
Dogs have been selectively bred for thousands of years, sometimes by inbreeding dogs from the same ancestral lines, sometimes by mixing dogs from very different lines. The process continues today, resulting in a tremendous variety of dog breeds.
The following list uses a wide interpretation of "breed". Breeds listed here may be traditional breeds with long histories as registered breeds, rare breeds with their own registries, or new breeds that may still be under development. Please see individual articles for more information.
A working dog refers to a canine working animal, i.e. a dog that is not merely a pet but learns and performs tasks to assist and/or entertain its human companions, or a breed of such origin.
Arguably the variety of -often exclusive- canine jobs is a better justification for the dog's honorary title "man's best friend" than the more accidental popularity as pet number one in western cultures.
Definition
Within this general description, however, there are several ways in which the phrase is used.
Bulldog is a collective name for various breeds of dog.
Baiting sports
The bloodsport of baiting animals has occurred since antiquity, most famously in the Roman Colosseum; however, in later centuries, it is most associated with the English, who pursued it with utmost earnestness, which was barely known elsewhere in the world. For over six hundred years the pastime flourished, reaching the peak of its popularity during the sixteenth century. The various animal types involved in the bait resulted in the breed specialization and basic anatomical forms of fighting dogs, which we still see today.
German Shepherd Dog
