History of the Turnspit Dog

January 15, 2017 6:05 PM

The Best Kitchen Gadget of the 1600s Was a Small, Short-Legged Dog
posted by Bulgaroktonos (33 comments total)

That's fantastic - crooked legged ugly dogs are the best. That being said there is no such place as Newcastle, Carmarthen, Wales - think they meant Newcastle Emlyn...
posted by zeoslap at 6:22 PM on January 15, 2017 [2 favorites]

OK, I assumed it was a small cast-iron stand in the shape of a dog, made to hold a spit. No, actually it was a live dog running in a wheel. Weird.
posted by amtho at 6:26 PM on January 15, 2017 [7 favorites]

My neighbors have fat dogs who if they lost weight would resemble turn-spit dogs!
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 6:26 PM on January 15, 2017 [1 favorite]

Now, I get the advantage to having short legs, as short legs means more steps means an even turn; however, I don't understand the advantage of the length of the corgi... I would think that would act as a disadvantage in such a turnstile.
posted by Nanukthedog at 6:30 PM on January 15, 2017 [1 favorite]

More on turnspit dogs here, including a picture of Whiskey, who looks adorable and does not seem to have been curtailed.
posted by TedW at 6:51 PM on January 15, 2017 [2 favorites]

Another old-timey dog profession: the dog-cart.
posted by XMLicious at 7:02 PM on January 15, 2017 [1 favorite]

What the hell was the point of having kids then?
posted by Samizdata at 7:17 PM on January 15, 2017 [17 favorites]

An illustration of a turnspit dog, described in the 19th century as “long-bodied, crooked-legged, and ugly dogs”.

Why did they use an illustration of a cute little guy, then??

Also at that link:

The AtlasObscura place of the day is the set of Robert Altman's Popeye in Malta, which the locals have repurposed into a theme park of sorts, Popeye Village, which is the coolest thing I've seen for a while. Every time I watch that movie (yes, it's a lot, ok?) I wish I could go visit the town, and lo and behold, I can!
posted by Huck500 at 7:20 PM on January 15, 2017 [4 favorites]

Only stealing the jobs that kitchen maids won't do.

: )
posted by Beholder at 7:22 PM on January 15, 2017 [1 favorite]

that story just made me sad. they didn't have to hurt the poor things. you can get a dog to do basically anything, there's no reason to hurt them.
posted by bleep at 7:43 PM on January 15, 2017 [17 favorites]

"Vernepator Cur" is my new band name.
posted by rodlymight at 7:53 PM on January 15, 2017 [3 favorites]

Also my grandma was a cook in one of those big English-style country homes (not in England) & she said she remembered having donkeys turning the spit in a similar manner.
posted by bleep at 7:57 PM on January 15, 2017 [3 favorites]

Hard to believe I never heard of it before. Sad yet also fascinating.
posted by Pocahontas at 7:59 PM on January 15, 2017

Well, here's a story to cheer up those saddened by the potential pet abuse.
posted by Samizdata at 8:01 PM on January 15, 2017 [3 favorites]

But for portability and backyard parties, nothing beat the ham stir.
posted by hal9k at 8:05 PM on January 15, 2017 [7 favorites]

That's funny, my current favorite kitchen gadget is a dog that cleans up whatever I drop on the floor.
posted by Grandysaur at 8:11 PM on January 15, 2017 [46 favorites]

Bleep, I can't hardly believe that!
Why would you want a donkey in your kitchen? Did you ever ask her the setup? Was it some sort of outside kitchen with a big fireplace, like a barbecue?
posted by BlueHorse at 8:16 PM on January 15, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh, and I can believe that Corgis were ornery ol' turnspit dogs. They can still make you so mad you want to turn and spit.
posted by BlueHorse at 8:16 PM on January 15, 2017 [2 favorites]

I remember seeing somebody bring a 17th century turnspit dog-wheel/cage onto Antiques Roadshow. According to the resident expert, the gear mechanism devised for the turnspit was so advanced that it still forms the basis for modern meat rotisseries.
posted by Flashman at 8:44 PM on January 15, 2017 [1 favorite]

This is terrible. :(
I hate people. Even people who have been dead for a long time.
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:47 PM on January 15, 2017 [2 favorites]

Lol this is unverified intel although delivered by a trusted source it cannot be confirmed.
posted by bleep at 8:48 PM on January 15, 2017 [2 favorites]

It's less terrible than slaughtering animals for their flesh, surely? Or pit ponies, or war horses, or, or, or, ...? This is the intake of breath before the prefatory statement before the first paragraph of the dreadful things people have done to animals over the years.
posted by Sebmojo at 8:58 PM on January 15, 2017 [2 favorites]

What the hell was the point of having kids then?

same as today, v little
posted by poffin boffin at 9:07 PM on January 15, 2017 [8 favorites]

Grandysaur: "That's funny, my current favorite kitchen gadget is a dog that cleans up whatever I drop on the floor."

SCAM ALERT! That is a default dog, NOT A KITCHEN GADGET!

(As an ex used to say "If it hits the ground, it belongs to the hound." If the dog is somewhat inattentive though, 5 second rule can trump that.)
posted by Samizdata at 9:16 PM on January 15, 2017 [3 favorites]

An illustration of a turnspit dog, described in the 19th century as “long-bodied, crooked-legged, and ugly dogs”.

Why did they use an illustration of a cute little guy, then??

That little dog looks like he has seen some shit you would not believe.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:04 PM on January 15, 2017 [5 favorites]

That little dog looks like he has seen some shit you would not believe.

"Guys, I swear, it's the same every day. There's all this meat in front of me and no matter how fast or how long I run, I CAN'T REACH IT. "
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:39 PM on January 15, 2017 [5 favorites]

Turnspit dogs came in a variety of colors and were heavy-set, often with heterochromatic eyes
Bowie's actual dog looks like the turnspit (diamond) breed.
posted by rongorongo at 4:01 AM on January 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

So you mean that episode of This Is America, Charlie Brown where Snoopy runs on the little conveyor belt to turn the spit was accurate and well researched?
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:28 AM on January 16, 2017

BlueHorse: "Why would you want a donkey in your kitchen? Did you ever ask her the setup? Was it some sort of outside kitchen with a big fireplace, like a barbecue?"

Usually the live stock powering a horse mill is outside or in their own building. I'm amazed anyone would install a mill merely to turn even a whole cow sized spit but I could see it being used if the mill was also pumping water, milling grain, sawing wood, powering a trip hammer or some work at the site and the spit was just another load on the overhead shaft.
posted by Mitheral at 6:29 AM on January 16, 2017

Before refrigeration and railways, cows were kept in basements in cities, to provide milk for urban residents. Surely if one already has a cow in one's basement, fitting some sort of treadmill and using it to power kitchen appliance is but a small step.
posted by acb at 7:51 AM on January 16, 2017

"It seems weird to bring an animal into the cooking process, let alone create a breed to fit a piece of kitchen equipment."

Only because the animal isn't the subject of said cooking process.
posted by MarchHare at 3:08 AM on January 18, 2017

Our small short-legged dog is an excellent vacuum cleaner for kitchen spills.
posted by flabdablet at 5:20 AM on January 18, 2017

Whiskey the taxidermied turnspit dog was indeed a cutie, and probably an excellent foot-warmer at church.
posted by nicebookrack at 9:24 AM on January 18, 2017