the world " utility " means usefulness,and as most dogs are useful to humans in one way or another,the american name of"Non-sporting dogs"is more appropriate than "Utility dogs" for this mixed group of breeds.This miscellaneous collection of dogs slotted into the ones left over after all the other breeds have been neatly slotted into the other five groups (pp. 48-53,56-59).However,the title of "Special dogs" might be more apt in order to cover the range of their individual,and special,characteristics - they certainly include the more interesting, unusual dogs.Their history,in some cases,goes back for many centuries - the forerunner of the chow chow was first bred in Mongolia, in Asia,3.00 years ago for use in war,and later,in China,as a source of fur and food.In fact,most of the dogs in this group have been bred for some particular purpose in the past,like the bulldog for bull-baiting,and the poodle for hunting water fowl,but group also includes national dogs from various countries - the Boston terrier from the USA,the bulldog from Britain, and the poodle from France.