Earlier this month, I enjoyed a part of a dog show at the county fairgrounds. My work schedule didn’t permit me to visit as much as I would have liked, but on Sunday, I did get to the show for the judging of several rare breeds. One of the great things about a dog show is seeing breeds you might not ever see otherwise.

There are close to 400 recognized dog breeds worldwide, but the American Kennel Club acknowledges only 192. Breeds which are working to gain AKC recognition start with being listed with the AKC Foundation Stock Services (FSS). Breeds which have gained some recognition, but are not yet fully accepted are in the miscellaneous class. Currently, the AKC has 57 breeds in the FSS and ten in the miscellaneous class.

Dogs in both FSS and miscellaneous may exhibit at dog shows, but don’t earn points toward a championship.

I missed seeing the Stabyhoun, who was shown Saturday but not Sunday. It is, according to Wikipedia, one of the five rarest dog breeds in the world. They are a compact pointing dog from the Netherlands and most are black and white.

There are some brown and white dogs in the Netherlands, and they used to also come in orange and white, but this color has almost completely disappeared. Besides pointing and retrieving, these dogs have an affectionate nature, and make good family dogs. They weigh 40-60 pounds and stand about 20 inches tall.

I did get to see four new-to-me breeds, two listed with FSS and two who were in the miscellaneous class.

The Central Asian Shepherd is a very large, solid livestock guard dog developed over years in the territory from the Caspian Sea to China and from Southern Ural to Afghanistan.

When guarding their herds, they are fearless in the face of large predators.

The minimum height is 25.5 inches for females, and 27.5 inches for males, and the minimum weight is 88 pounds for females and 110 pounds for males. The AKC website says this is not a dog for first-time owners, and I can believe it. They are powerfully built and their instincts as a guard dog can make them suspicious of strangers. The three six-month-old puppies I met were big sweeties, but the adult male was not. He was very alert and did not show any desire to meet or interact with strangers. He did let two women pet him, but growled at a man who approached.

At the other end of the size scale is the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, weighing between 8 and 25 pounds and standing 8-15 inches tall. These terriers are loyal, playful, and happy to join in just about any activity, from organized sports to keeping a barn and home free of rats and mice. They remind me of what used to be called a Jack Russell Terrier before there was the taller, squarer Parson Russell Terrier and the shorter Russell Terrier.

Unlike many terriers, which can come in smooth or wire coat, the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier is always smooth.

From the miscellaneous group, there was a Dutch Shepherd and a Lancashire Heeler.

The Dutch Shepherd I saw seemed to have more coat than a Malinois but not as much as a Belgian Shepherd or Belgian Tervuren. She also seemed a bit smaller and lighter. She was a lovely brindle color. Their standard says they come in gold brindle, silver brindle, and sometimes solid yellow. They are used for tracking, search and rescue, and as police dogs.

I especially wanted to see the Lancashire Heeler which was created by crossing Corgis with Manchester Terriers. These dogs are 10-12 inches at the shoulder, just as Corgis are, but they are of slighter build, weighing between 9 and 17 pounds. They have the short, close coat of a Manchester Terrier and are either black and tan or liver and tan.

Their ears are erect, or have “an alert lift,” meaning they aren’t all the way up.

Besides the adult that was being shown, I met her two puppies. It’s a good thing they were in a crate, or I’d have been tempted to stuff one into my pocket. They were, as all puppies are, just adorable.

The Lancashire Heeler is intelligent, fairly high-energy, and alert and friendly.

I’m not trading in my Corgis but it was fun to get acquainted with these relatively rare breeds and to learn more about them by talking to their owners and seeing them in person, rather than just reading about them.