This is a list of both domestic and farmed breeds of animals originating in Wales.
Breed | Image | Date of origin | Location of origin | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cardigan Welsh Corgi | Registered separately from Pembroke Corgi in 1935 [1] | Ceredigion | Vulnerable native breed [2] | |
Pembroke Welsh Corgi | Registered separately from Cardigan Corgi in 1935 [1] | Pembrokeshire | Not vulnerable native breed [3] | |
Sealyham Terrier | First breed established in 1908 and registered by the kennel club in 1911 [4] | Sealyham House | Vulnerable native breed [4] | |
Welsh Hound | 975 hounds in 1997 [6] | |||
Welsh Sheepdog | Existed since the time of early Welsh law. Welsh Sheepdog Society was founded in 1997 [5] | Wales | ||
Welsh Springer Spaniel | Red and white Welsh hunting dog chronicled in the Middle Ages is thought to be ancestor to this breed. Recognised by the Kennel Club in 1902 [7] | Vulnerable native breed [7] | ||
Welsh Terrier | Pwllheli [9] | Not a vulnerable native breed [9] | ||
Old Welsh Grey Sheepdog | Known to exist in 1994 but now considered extinct [10] | |||
Welsh Hillman | Thought to become extinct in 1990 [10] |
Breed | Image | Date of origin | Location of origin | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Welsh Black cattle | Descended from pre-Roman Wales. Breeding between north and south Wales varieties over last 90 years has formed the breed [11] | Stocky north Wales beef type and the more dairy-like south Wales [12] | Endangered native breeds in Wales [13] | |
"Ancient Cattle of Wales" | Ancient Cattle of Wales breed society was established in 1981 [14] | Wales [14] | Unofficial colour varieties of Welsh cattle [14] | |
Glamorgan cattle | Glamorgan [15] | The breed was thought to have died out in the 1920s. A herd was discovered and bought in 1979 by Margam Country Park and remain there today [15] | ||
Vaynol cattle | 1872 [16] | Vaynol Park, near Bangor [16] | One of the rarest cattle breeds in the UK. RBST owns most of the breed and monitors their status [16] | |
Pembroke cattle | "Coal Black" in colour [17] | Pembrokeshire [17] | Pembroke cows of Dewsland, CastleMartin varieties amalgamated with Anglesey and North Wales varieties to form Welsh Black. [17] |
Breed | Image | Date of origin | Location of origin | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep | Since at least the Middle Ages [18] | |||
Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep | Tywi valley [20] [19] | |||
Beulah Speckled Face | Beulah Speckled-Face Sheep Society was founded in 1958 [21] | Hills of Eppynt, Llanafan, Abergwesyn, and Llanwrtyd Wells [21] | ||
Black Welsh Mountain sheep | Existed in the Middle Ages, but artificially selected to form a breed in the 19th century [22] | |||
Brecon Cheviot |
| Brecon Beacons [23] | ||
Welsh Hill Speckled Face | Derived from Welsh mountain sheep with some Kerry Hill sheep introduced into breeding [24] | Devil's Bridge and hilly areas of Mid Wales [24] | ||
Hill Radnor | ||||
Kerry Hill sheep |
| Kerry, Powys [26] | Registered Kerry Hill Sheep are present across the British Isles, Ireland and the Netherlands [25] | |
Llanwenog sheep |
| Teifi valley, West Wales [27] | Centred in West Wales and is widespread in the UK [27] | |
Lleyn sheep | Bred from the Irish Roscommon sheep likely at the beginning of the 19th century [28] |
|
| |
Welsh Mountain sheep | Throughout Wales [30] |
Breed | Image | Date of origin | Location of origin | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Welsh pig |
| Wales | Registrations totaled 1,341 in 1981 [31] |
Breed | Image | Date of origin | Location of origin | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Brecon Buff Goose |
| Breconshire [32] |
Breed | Image | Date of origin | Location of origin | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Welsh Pony and Cob (includes multiple varieties) |
| Wales | 574 registered in 1913 [33] |
The Welsh Corgi is a small type of herding dog that originated in Wales. The name corgi is derived from the Welsh words cor and ci, meaning "dwarf" and "dog", respectively.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, also called the Staffy or Stafford, is a purebred dog of small to medium size in the terrier group that originated in the northern parts of Birmingham and in the Black Country of Staffordshire, for which it is named. They descended from 19th-century bull terriers that were developed by crossing bulldogs with various terriers to create a generic type of dog generally known as bull and terriers. Staffords share the same ancestry with the modern Bull Terrier, although the two breeds developed along independent lines, and do not resemble each other. Modern Staffords more closely resemble the old type of bull terrier, and were first recognised as a purebred dog breed by The Kennel Club of Great Britain in 1935.
The Patterdale Terrier is a breed "type" of dog descended from the Northern terrier breeds of the early 18th century. Bred in Patterdale, Lake District.
The Cardigan Welsh corgi is one of two different varieties of livestock-herding dog breeds known as Welsh corgis, with the other being the Pembroke Welsh corgi. It is one of the oldest breeds of the British Isles. Cardigan Welsh corgis are known to be an extremely loyal and trainable dog breed, naturally attuned to herding many different animals, from poultry and waterfowl to large livestock such as sheep and cattle. They are also versatile and can live in a variety of settings.
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a cattle herding dog breed that originated in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is one of two breeds known as a Welsh Corgi, the other being the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Pembroke Welsh Corgis descended from the Spitz family of dogs.
The Bearded Collie, or Beardie, is a herding breed of dog once used primarily by Scottish shepherds, but now mostly a popular family companion.
The Lakeland Terrier is a dog breed, which takes its name from its place of origin, the Lake District in England. The dog is a small to mid-size member of the Terrier family. While independent in personality, it interacts well with owners and all family members, and is mostly hypo-allergenic. In the United Kingdom, the Lakeland Terrier is considered a vulnerable dog breed at risk of going extinct through low levels of breeding, according to The Kennel Club. In the United States, the Lakeland Terrier ranked 148 out of 193 breeds by number of American Kennel Club puppy registrations in 2019.
Toy dog traditionally refers to a very small dog or a grouping of small and very small breeds of dog. A toy dog may be of any of various dog types. Types of dogs referred to as toy dogs may include spaniels, pinschers and terriers that have been bred down in size. Not all toy dogs are lap dogs.
The Kerry Blue Terrier is a breed of dog. Originally bred to control vermin including rats, rabbits, badgers, ferrets, foxes, otters, hares, deer, and even wolves, over time the Kerry became a general working dog used for a variety of jobs including herding cattle and sheep. Despite a Kerry Blue winning Crufts in 2000, it remains an "unfashionable" breed, and is distinctly uncommon; however, it is not as threatened as some of the other terrier breeds such as the Skye Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, and Dandie Dinmont Terrier.
The Norwich Terrier is a breed of dog originating in England, and was bred to hunt small rodents. One of the smallest terriers, these dogs are relatively rare. Their drop-eared variety is the Norfolk Terrier.
The American Staffordshire Terrier, also known as the AmStaff, is a medium-sized, short-coated American dog breed recognized by the American Kennel Club, but not the United Kennel Club, which instead allows American Staffordshire Terriers to be registered under the American Pit Bull Terrier breed.
The Lancashire Heeler is a small breed of dog developed for use as a drover and herder of cattle. The Lancashire Heeler is listed by the Kennel Club (UK) as an endangered breed. The breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2024.
A natural bobtail is an animal's tail which due to a mutated gene grows unusually short or is missing completely. The genes for the shortened tail may be dominant or recessive.
Vulnerable Native Breeds are a group of dog breeds originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and identified by The Kennel Club (KC) as having annual registration numbers of 300 puppies or fewer within the UK. The KC identified its need for such a list in June 2003, with research it conducted to identify the extent of the vulnerability and viability of each breed. It was a joint project, with the KC working with the British and Irish Native Breeds Trust, later to be known simply as the Native Dog Breeds Trust. The breeds on the list have been promoted at events such as Discover Dogs and Crufts, and by asking that owners of these breeds mate their dogs rather than having them spayed.
The Braque d'Auvergne is a breed of dog originating in the mountain area of Cantal, in the historic Auvergne province in the mid-south of France. It is a pointer and versatile gundog. The breed descends from ancient regional types of hunting dogs.
The Vendéen is a breed of domestic sheep originating near Vendée in western France. It was developed by crossing local ewes with Southdown rams in the early 19th century. It is primarily a meat breed known for its muscularity and ability to produce large litters of lambs. They have a fine, medium-length wool. Both Vendéen ewes and rams are usually polled, but occasionally rams can have small horns. Their faces and legs have dark brown or gray hair. The breed is commonly used among farmers as a terminal sire for producing lambs for meat.
The American Bully is a modern breed of dog that was developed as a companion dog, and originally standardized and recognized as a breed in 2004 by the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC). Their published breed standard describes the dog as giving the "impression of great strength for its size". In 2008, the American Bully was recognized by the European Bully Kennel Club (EBKC), and on July 15, 2013, by the United Kennel Club (UKC). The Kennel Club does not recognize the American Bully as a separate breed; nor do the American Kennel Club or International Canine Federation.