What makes a dog breed go extinct? Some are mated out, completely turned into new types of dogs to fit the fashion or function of the day. Others are wiped away by predators (humans included) or ignored by the breeders that had sustained them…
Who’s a good dog? They were. They were.
1. KUR?
The Kur? (above) was brought to New Zealand around the 14th century, most likely from East Polynesia. While it’s said that the dog was a favorite companion of the Maori women, not everyone loved them. “They were always treacherous and bit us frequently,” wrote Julien Marie Crozet, a Frenchman who traveled to New Zealand as part of an expedition in 1771. Kur? were often described as ugly and stubborn with a poor sense of smell, and the breed was eventually lost to extinction. RIP, Kur?, your short little legs and snapping jaw were too beautiful for this world.
via Mental Floss
