We suppose it’s human nature to think our own generation came up anything worth knowing, but here’s a sobering case in point suggesting otherwise: Categorizing our breeds by group isn’t an invention of registries such as the AKC, UKC, or FCI. In fact, it was a nun to whom credit should go for compiling one of the very first breed catalogs. Dame Juliana Barnes, a prioress of Sopwell nunnery, assorted breeds in her, “Boke of St Albans,” this way: Greyhound, Mastif, Butcher’s Houndes, Dunghill Dogges, Memor, Bastard, Mengrell, Raches, Kenettys, Terroures, Tryndeltaylles, Prycheryd Currys, and (our personal favorite): Sall Ladyes Poppees That Bere Awaye the Flees.  These breeds translate into today’s sighthound, mastiffs, Bloodhounds, Long Tailed Shepherds, Bulldogs, Terriers, Beagles, pariahs, and Toy Breeds (which may still occasionally “bere flees”).

Sister Barnes, by the way, assembled her catalog in 1486.

Image of the “Boke of St Albans”