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What breed is Norah's sheepdog, Enek? I was looking at sheepdog breeds at
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_dog> and thought he sort of looks like a
Border Collie, but I'm not sure.

[![Nora with
Enek](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1WYy0l.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1WYy0l.jpg)

Edit: After reviewing Enek's first appearance in the second volume, I don't
believe that Enek's breed is explicitly stated. As such, it could be difficult
to identify Enek's breed just by his appearance. In lieu of any official
information, an answer based on Enek's physical traits and information
pertaining to prevalence of sheepdog in medieval Europe would be acceptable. I
am including some links to references that I have been reviewing.

  * [History of Herding at bsca.info](http://www.bsca.info/history/herdingHistory.html)
  * [Herding Sheepdogs at janedogs.com](https://janedogs.com/herding-sheepdogs/)
  * [Medieval Dog Breeds at medievaldogs.wikispaces.com](http://medievaldogs.wikispaces.com/Medieval+Dog+Breeds)
  * [Dutch Shepherd Wikipedia Page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Shepherd_Dog)
  * [Belgian Shepherd Wikipedia Page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Shepherd)


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2016-02-05T00:25:21.173
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spice-and-wolf
What breed is Enek?


According to <http://medievaldogs.wikispaces.com/Medieval+Dog+Breeds>:

> While many of today's dog breeds can be traced back to the Middle Ages (and
> some even older), breeds as we know them today, carefully defined by
> physical appearance, did not exist in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
> Instead, dogs were classified by function.

Based on this, it is possible that Enek does not belong to a definite dog
breed at all and instead belongs to a breed from which today's breeds are
derived. In the books, he is only ever referred to as a sheepdog, and this is
consistent with medieval people classifying dogs by function.

As mentioned in the question, Enek shares some traits that could associate him
with Border Collies. His fluffy tail, erect ears, fur thickness and coloring,
and leg length are consistent with the Border Collie breed. Enek displays a
high level of intelligence in volume 13 (though this could just be attributed
to personification), and according to
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Collie>, the Border Collie "is widely
considered to be the most intelligent dog breed".

On the other hand, Enek's physical characteristics could also belong to a
Dutch Shepherd. All the physical traits still match. The problem is that Enek
is a cartoon and thus his traits are too indistinct to make a definite match.

In conclusion, there isn't enough information available to definitively
determine Enek's breed. He could be an ancestor of the Dutch Shepherd, Border
Collie, or some other herding dog.


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