At 636.7001-708 'Standard subdivisions, specific topics in husbandry of dogs,' the note indicates "for working dogs, see 636.73. . ." Does the note mean that 636.73 is used for all kinds of working dogs, including search and rescue dogs, police dogs, therapy dogs, etc.? When is it appropriate to use 636.70886? (This number is built by adding to 636.70 the numbers following 636.0 from 636.0886 Work animals.)

At 636.73 Working and herding dogs, the superordinate hierarchy at 636.72-636.75 focuses on specific breeds and groups of dogs, so breeds of working and herding dogs are classed here. The Manual note at 636.72-636.75 notes that the main groupings are those recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Working dogs is one of the main groupings. Thus, a work on the breeds in this class or an individual breed is classed in 636.73. This class does not include the AKC groupings of sporting dogs (636.752) and non-sporting dogs (636.72); instead, 636.73 covers watchdogs (guard dogs), akita, Bernese mountain dog, boxer, Great Dane, Komondor, Rottweiler, and others.

By contrast, 636.70886 doesn't imply a specific breed, but instead covers dogs used as work animals, such as disaster search and rescue dogs, therapy dogs, snow and wilderness search dogs, and guide dogs. Dogs as work animals also includes dogs used in the movies, on television, and on stage. The see-reference at 636.0886 Work animals notes that sport and stunt animals (and also dogs) fall into the 636.088 Animals for specific purposes concept. Neither sport nor stunt dogs are breeds of dogs that the AKC would include in its breeds of working dogs.

Submitted by: Thanks to Bryan Baldus of Quality Books Inc. for submitting this question.
Last revised: 01 May 2005