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Courtesy of @Sonja-Kalee on Pixabay

A picture of a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever looking at the camera with puppy eyes.

People have had dogs as pets for up to 40,000 years and over that time many breeds have been created. With having so many breeds, there are many that most people don’t know about.

The first breed is the Stabyhoun, and they can live up to 14 years. This dog breed is one of the top five most rare in the world. It comes from The Netherlands and there are only a few thousand that exist. They are said to be friendly, intelligent, sensitive, patient, peaceful, and at times stubborn. The males can grow to be around 1.7 feet tall and weigh 51-55 pounds, whereas the females can grow to be 20 inches and weigh around 44 pounds. These dogs also can come in many different colors like roan, black and white, white and chocolate, and orange and white. 

The second breed is the Kooikerhondje (koi-ker-hond-yuh) and they live up to 15 years. These dogs came from the Netherlands and were originally bred to lure ducks. They are cheerful, quiet, friendly, alert, well-behaved and good natured. The males can grow to be 17 inches and the females 16 inches. They can weigh between 20-24 pounds, and have orange and white fur. 

The third breed is the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and they can live to be 14 years old. Tollers originate from Canada and are the smallest of the retrievers. They are easy to please, intelligent, curious, alert, and have very high energy. The females can grow to be around 18-19 inches and weigh 37 to 44 pounds and for the males, they can grow to be 19-20 inches and weigh around 44 to 51 pounds. These dogs have a medium length coat and their fur can be various colors, like red and orange. 

The last breed is the Lowchen, which is also known as the Little Lion Dog. They can live to be 18 years old. These “Little Lion” dogs are said to have originated from Europe and even a slight chance to have come from France as well. They are one of the rarest breeds with generally less than 100 registrations every year worldwide. They are generally friendly, intelligent and playful dogs. The females grow to be around 11-13 inches and weigh 9-15 pounds.The males grow to around 12-14 inches and weigh 12-18 pounds. Their coats can come in many colors like silver, white, chocolate, red/gold, and brindle.