The AKC recognizes dog breeds in the United States.
VOA: special.2009.02.23
"Most dogbreeds have really only been around since Victorian times, " said Elaine Ostrander of the National Human Genome Research Institute's Dog Genome Project.
Of particular interest are canine remains that resemble one of the oldest known domesticated dogbreeds, the desert saluki, as well as traces of a dagger.
According to researchers, while many modern pets may look like those depicted in ancient Egyptian tombs or Roman mosaics, extensive cross-breeding through thousands of years has meant that no modern dogbreeds can be truly classified as "ancient".