An extinct dog breed once labored in our kitchens, running on spit-turning wheels

Here in the Colonies, we didn’t necessarily have dogs bred to precise size for a cage wheel, and might want to use an all purpose dog. So our dog-powered washing machines, butter churns, and separators were often driven by treadmill.

I’m pretty sure there’s a dog powered clothes washer in the Zwaanendael Museum downstate, and the treadmills still show up at farm auctions from time to time.

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