For the first time in three decades, the U.S. has a new favorite dog breed, according to the American Kennel Club.

Adorable in some eyes, deplorable in others, the sturdy, push-faced, perky-eared, world-weary-looking and distinctively droll French bulldog became the nationB次元官网网址檚 most prevalent purebred dog last year, the club announced Wednesday. Frenchies ousted Labrador retrievers from the top spot after .

Why?

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e comical, friendly, loving little dogs,B次元官网网址� says French Bull Dog Club of America spokesperson Patty Sosa. City-friendly, with modest grooming and exercise needs, she says, B次元官网网址渢hey offer a lot in a small package.B次元官网网址�

Yet the FrenchieB次元官网网址檚 dizzying rise B次元官网网址� it wasnB次元官网网址檛 even a top-75 breed a quarter-century ago B次元官网网址� worries its fans, to say nothing of its critics.

The buzzy little bulldogs have been targeted in thefts, including of a 76-year-old South Carolina breeder and the 2021 who was squiring singer Lady GagaB次元官网网址檚 pets.

ThereB次元官网网址檚 concern that demand, plus the premium that some buyers will pay for B次元官网网址渆xoticB次元官网网址� coat colors and textures, is engendering quick-buck breeders and unhealthy dogs. The breedB次元官网网址檚 popularity is sharpening debate over whether thereB次元官网网址檚 anything healthy about propagating dogs prone to breathing, spinal, eye, and skin conditions.

The British Veterinary Association has flat-faced breeds, such as Frenchies. The Netherlands has prohibited breeding very short-snouted dogs, and the countryB次元官网网址檚 agriculture minister aims to outlaw even owning them.

B次元官网网址淔rench bulldogs can be a polarizing topic,B次元官网网址� says Dr. Carrie Stefaniak, a Glendale, Wisconsin-based veterinarian whoB次元官网网址檚 on the Frenchie clubB次元官网网址檚 health committee.

She has treated French bulldogs with breathing difficulties, and she stresses that would-be owners need to research breeders and health testing and to recognize that problems can be expensive to treat.

But sheB次元官网网址檚 no Frenchie foe. She owns two and has conditioned them to run agility courses and take hilly hikes.

B次元官网网址淭hese dogs can be very fit, can be very active,B次元官网网址� Stefaniak said. B次元官网网址淭hey donB次元官网网址檛 have to be sedentary dogs that canB次元官网网址檛 breathe.B次元官网网址�

The AKCB次元官网网址檚 popularity rankings cover about 200 breeds in the nationB次元官网网址檚 oldest canine registry. The stats are based on nearly 716,500 puppies and other dogs newly registered last year B次元官网网址� about 1 in every 7 of them a Frenchie. Registration is voluntary.

The most rarely owned? English foxhounds.

The rankings donB次元官网网址檛 count mixed-breeds or, at least for now, Labradoodles, puggles, Morkies and other popular B次元官网网址渄esignerB次元官网网址� hybrids. The AKCB次元官网网址檚 top 10 were: French bulldogs, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, German shepherds, poodles, bulldogs, Rottweilers, beagles, dachshunds and German shorthaired pointers.

With roots in England and then France, French bulldogs became chic among American elites around the turn of the 20th century, then faded from favor.

That , in this century. Social media and celebrity owners (ranging from Leonardo di Caprio to Megan Thee Stallion to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) gave the dogs fresh exposure. Still more came last year, when U.S. TV audiences watched a Frenchie named Winston Dog Show and then hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia.

Last year, about 108,000 newly registered French bulldogs surpassed Labs by over 21,000.

As a longtime breeder and a veterinarian, Dr. Lori Hunt sees Frenchies as ideal companions but their popularity as B次元官网网址渁 curse, not a blessing.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e being very exploitedB次元官网网址� by unscrupulous breeders, she said. The Westlake, Ohio-based vet has seen plenty of Frenchies with problems but rejects arguments that the breed is inherently unhealthy. Some of her own do canine performance sports.

Some other breeds are prone to ailments ranging from hip dysplasia to cancers, and mixed-breed dogs also can get sick. But involving about 24,600 dogs in Britain suggested that Frenchies have B次元官网网址渧ery different, and largely much poorerB次元官网网址� health than do other canines, largely due to the foreshortened, wrinkly face that encapsulates the breedB次元官网网址檚 je ne sais quoi.

With such findings in mind, the British Veterinary Association has said it B次元官网网址渟trongly recommendsB次元官网网址� against buying flat-faced dogs and has campaigned to scrub them from ads and even greeting cards.

The American Veterinary Medical Association is exploring ways to improve flat-faced dogsB次元官网网址� welfare, President Dr. Lori Teller says.

To animal rights and welfare activists, the French bulldog frenzy puts a snorting, panting face on problems with dog breeding in general.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of the breed characteristics that are bred into these dogs, theyB次元官网网址檙e for looks, not necessarily health and welfare, and Frenchies are probably one of the most exaggerated examples of that,B次元官网网址� said Dr. Lorna Grande of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, a professional group affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States.

B次元官网网址淚t is a welfare issue. These dogs are suffering,B次元官网网址� she says.

The AKC notes that its Canine Health Foundation has donated $67 million since 1990 for research and education on many breeds, and the kennel and Frenchie clubs say there have been advances. A new breathing test made its U.S. debut on Frenchies, bulldogs and pugs at a show in January.

Prospective purebred owners should explore breedersB次元官网网址� history and health testing, accept waiting for a puppy, and ask themselves whether theyB次元官网网址檙e prepared for the responsibility, the AKC says.

B次元官网网址淩esearch what goes into owning a dog,B次元官网网址� says spokesperson Brandi Hunter Munden, B次元官网网址渁nd really take an assessment of your lifestyle to make sure that youB次元官网网址檙e really making the best decision, not just for you, but for the animal.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擩ennifer Peltz, The Associated Press