D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and an Honorary Member of the American College of Theriogenology. With 5m Books, Phillip has published Breeding Better Dogs (2023), Managing Breeds for a Better Future (2022) and Practical Color Genetics for Livestock Breeders (2021).

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• IntroductionNavajo-Churro Sheep: Tradition, and AdaptationPoultry Complicate Breed Definitions Horses Changed How Humans LiveSelection for Extremes: Goat BreedsHow Cattle Breeds Take ShapeSelection Goals Change BreedsRecovering Historically Successful Selection Techniques for ChickensAmerican Mammoth Jackstock: Targeted for PurposeOxen and Agricultural TraditionsSeveral Breeds Sprang from Single FoundersCotton Patch Geese Have Multiple Traditional SkillsDamara Sheep: One Breed Serving Multiple CommunitiesChoctaw Hogs: Home on the Range Criollo Cattle: Shaped by Foundation and SelectionThe Twisting Path to Survival for Bulgarian BreedsGulf Coast Native Sheep Are Tough SurvivorsExtreme Breeds Have Extreme GenomesBreeds at the Crossroads of HumanityAnkole-Watusi Cattle: The Cattle of KingsThe Newfoundland Pony Has an Old FoundationGuinea Hogs Are a Breed with Services and ProductsParadoxical Survival: White Park CattleTurkeys: Varieties, Breeds, and NamesChivo Neuquino Goats Are Disaster InsuranceBelgian Hares Reflect Fads and CrazesNguni Cattle Have Multiple RolesIceland: Unique Livestock from Long IsolationCaballo Chileno Horses: Shaped by Wise SelectionSelection Shapes the Resource: Kensing Spanish GoatsKeeping Heritage Turkeys ProductiveFlorida Cracker Cattle Have Both History and a FutureWhere Best To Conserve Meishan Hogs?Demand Assures a Place: Linca SheepIsland Animals Present Multiple Conservation ChallengesWorldwide Preference: White Cattle with Dark PointsSome Species Have Few BreedsChanging Selection GoalsCulture Keeps the Pineywoods Cattle BreedManaging Fire Risks with Old Irish GoatsLarge Black Hogs Are Just DifferentHolderread’s WaterfowlBehavior Is a Service: Leader SheepMyotonic Goats Are More Than a Single GeneMilking Devon Cattle: Tradition Can Save a BreedCommitment Has Saved Choctaw HorsesCaribbean Hair SheepOssabaw Hogs: Island SurvivorsDexter Cattle Balance Selection GoalsCriollo Venezolano Horses: Fit for ServiceTeamwork Secures the Beltsville Small White TurkeyRandall Lineback Cattle: Sole SurvivorsPoitou Jacks, Mulassier Mares: Divergent Goals and FatesNumbers Aren’t Everything: Texas Hill Country Spanish GoatsWilbur-Cruce Horses: A Last-Minute RescueFunction is Key for Barrenda en Colorado CattleSouthern Blue Hogs: Challenges in Discovery and SecuritySurprising Cattle in Surprising PlacesNew Mexico: Pivotal for Colonial Spanish HorsesRove Goats Reflect Cultural Selection GoalsAlpine Lifeways Extend Human ReachBanker PoniesFeral SheepIrish Cattle Reflect Culture, Genetics, and Breed DefinitionA Hotspot of Genetic Diversity: the Sandhill Preservation CenterMarsh Tacky Horses: A Strong Breed in a Difficult EnvironmentMulefoot Hogs Are More than a Single TraitComplicated Profitability: Criollo Patagónico CattlePilgrim Geese: from Landrace to Standardized BreedReminders of Ancient Times: Caspian HorsesRomeldale Sheep: Deliberate Foundation and SelectionManure: Product or Problem?True Bantams: More than just “Small”Native Shorthorn Cattle: Once Popular, Now RareAmerican Cream Draft Horse: More than a Pretty ColorBakewell’s Leicester Longwool Sheep: Early Progeny TestingOssabaw Sicilian DonkeysTexas Longhorn Cattle: Definition Shapes the BreedBrush Goats Survive the Heat and HumidityLapsed Purebred Animals: Important for a Breed’s FutureCriollo Lechero Cattle: Low Tech SelectionBreeder Stewardship Is Essential for Shetland Geese and DucksTargeted Use of Rare BloodlinesRed Poll Cattle: Rare for no Good ReasonSizes, Breeds, and American DonkeysDuroc Hogs: From Local to InternationalExport Helped Save Dutch Belted CattlePuerto Rican Paso Fino Horses: Unique Foundation, Isolation, and SelectionNot Like the Neighbors: Drežnica GoatsTurkeys: the Birds that Traveled the WorldChickens through Time and SpaceLincoln Sheep: A Tangled Web of InfluencesBreeds, Conservation, and Ways Forward