(NOTE TO COLOSSAL FOR REFERENCE: The picture in my profile is the only known photograph of a turnspit dog.)

The Turnspit (also known as a Kitchen Dog, Cooking Dog, Wheeling Dog, Underdog, Vernepator Cur, or simply by its scientific name, Canis vertigus) was a breed of dog that was bred for hard kitchen work especially in rich inns and hotels. The dog was seen more as a kitchen tool rather than a live animal. It was first mentioned as a "Turnespete" in a 1576 book.

 The small dog was forced to run a big wheel which was called "the dog wheel" or "the turnspit wheel". As the dog ran in the wheel all day long, the meat got cooked. Even though this breed suffered a lot, it didn't make a single sound. Turnspit dogs that were bred for this job had an "unhappy, miserable look on themselves", meaning they had a sad face and were usually scared at humans. If the turnspit dog wasn't seen running in the wheel, a chef would throw in burning coals until seeing the dog running again. Turnspits were estimated to live for 12-15 years, but because of so much work, turnspits lived for only a few years being exploited. When the people in the house/inn/hotel weren't going to eat roast meat, turnspit dogs were used as a source of power for manual food grinding machines. In France, a turnspit-powered sewing machine was invented, patented, but never sold (there was welfare, though, as the dogs were provided water bowls. The inventor urged animal welfare while using his sewing machine).

All week long the turnspit dog had to do their work, all except on Sundays. Sundays were cold days, so Catholic families took their turnspit dogs inside the church to be used as foot warmers. However, history records that on an ordinary Sunday service, the phrase "Ezequiel saw the wheel" was said and the turnspits at hearing the word "wheel", instantly dashed to the door.

This type of dog was also symbolized for hard work. Even Shakespeare mentions them in his play The Comedy of Errors. He describes somebody as being a "curtailed dog fit only to run in a wheel". During the 18th century, turnspits were introduced in the US to turn spits in the hotels of rich people. It all started when William Penn's wife requested the British people to bring wheels for her turnspit dogs. History records that turnspit dogs were also used in the kitchen of the White House. Even Queen Victoria felt so bad about the mistreatment of this little breed that she kept retired turnspits from the palace as her pets. The mistreatment of this breed along with carriage horse abuse inspired Henry Bergh to found ASPCA, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

 The turnspit was very popular in the 1600s and 1700s. The breed was endangered in the 1800s, during the idustrial revolution. By 1850, there were other sources of energy to turn spits, so using a dog to turn the spit was considered a symbolism of poverty.  And suddenly, the turnspit was declared extinct in the 1900s. If wasn't for the turnspit dog, we wouldn't have had those little portable rottiserie ovens.

The turnspit wasn't agressive. According to history it's personality was identical to (La'eeb) the 2022 World Cup mascot's personality: Turnspit dogs were friendly, playful, curious, and adventurous. Also, the turnspit was known to be "super skilled" for its drudgery.

 I would like you to bring back this amazing extinct animal.  Whiskey is the only taxidermied turnspit dog,and she in the Abergavenny Museum in Wales. So there's still DNA to clone a purbred turnspit.

 The turnspit dog has been one of the most famous and beloved extinct animals that even today, they're pop culture: there's a production studio named after them  and  a pet robotic dog which seemingly is based on this breed. There is much more to turnspit dogs (including children's storybooks) in pop culture that I can't list here. Of course, dinosaurs are still more iconic.

Even many dog experts who write articles on the internet say that the turnspit is one of the many extinct dog breeds that should come back. 

And now is the perfect time to bring back the turnspit dog!

Info Links:

https://dbodturnspit.blogspot.com​

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/05/13/311127237/turnspit-dogs-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-vernepator-cur​

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnspit_dog​

http://messybeast.com/history/edible-dogs.htm​

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20211105-the-bizarre-dog-breeds-time-forgot