Over at NPR, we find an article about dogs bred to be kitchen machinery. The turnspit dog:
When any meat was to be roasted, one of these dogs was hoisted into a wooden dog wheel mounted on the wall near the fireplace. The wheel was attached to a chain which ran down to the spit. As the dog ran, like a hamster in a cage, the spit turned.
They’re extinct now, of course.
“They were ugly little dogs with a quite morose disposition so nobody wanted to keep them as pets. The turnspit dogs became extinct.”