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What breed is Norah's sheepdog, Enek? I was looking at sheepdog breeds at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_dog and thought he sort of looks like a Border Collie, but I'm not sure.

Nora with Enek

Edit: After reviewing Enek's first appearance in the second volume, I don't believe that Enek's breed is explicitly stated. As such, it could be difficult to identify Enek's breed just by his appearance. In lieu of any official information, an answer based on Enek's physical traits and information pertaining to prevalence of sheepdog in medieval Europe would be acceptable. I am including some links to references that I have been reviewing.

Shaymin Gratitude
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  • there is no information about it on the wiki, However Enek does seem like a Border Collie going by the fur and ear patterns. – Parth Srivastav Feb 07 '16 at 08:24
  • Unless it's explicitly stated in the novels (and I don't think it is), it might be difficult or impossible to know for sure what breed Enek is. I think the erect ears, fluffy tail, fur thickness, and height of the legs do match the Border Collie. It's probable that a case can be made for a different breed though. – Shaymin Gratitude Feb 07 '16 at 16:58
  • @ShayminGratitude As the asker of the question, you can define how definite you want the answer to be. If the breed was never mentioned in the anime or novels, you can state that you'll accept an informed guess based on evidence; this is very frequent over on SF&F. You can also self-answer, if you find an answer that satisfies you in your own research. – Torisuda Feb 08 '16 at 00:50

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According to http://medievaldogs.wikispaces.com/Medieval+Dog+Breeds:

While many of today's dog breeds can be traced back to the Middle Ages (and some even older), breeds as we know them today, carefully defined by physical appearance, did not exist in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Instead, dogs were classified by function.

Based on this, it is possible that Enek does not belong to a definite dog breed at all and instead belongs to a breed from which today's breeds are derived. In the books, he is only ever referred to as a sheepdog, and this is consistent with medieval people classifying dogs by function.

As mentioned in the question, Enek shares some traits that could associate him with Border Collies. His fluffy tail, erect ears, fur thickness and coloring, and leg length are consistent with the Border Collie breed. Enek displays a high level of intelligence in volume 13 (though this could just be attributed to personification), and according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Collie, the Border Collie "is widely considered to be the most intelligent dog breed".

On the other hand, Enek's physical characteristics could also belong to a Dutch Shepherd. All the physical traits still match. The problem is that Enek is a cartoon and thus his traits are too indistinct to make a definite match.

In conclusion, there isn't enough information available to definitively determine Enek's breed. He could be an ancestor of the Dutch Shepherd, Border Collie, or some other herding dog.

Shaymin Gratitude
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