French bulldogs. U.S. dog owners. CB次元官网网址檈st lB次元官网网址檃mour.
Frenchies remained the United StatesB次元官网网址� most commonly registered purebred dogs last year, according to American Kennel Club rankings released Wednesday. The club calls the Frenchie the most popular breed, though other canine constituencies may beg to differ.
Is it a coup to be celebrated? Au contraire, say longtime fans who rue what popularity is doing to the breed. Nevertheless, after lapping Labrador retrievers to , the bat-eared, scaled-down bulldogs held on in the new standings, which reflect puppies and other dogs that were added last year to the United StatesB次元官网网址� oldest dog registry.
Meanwhile, dachshunds are at a nearly two-decade peak, the cane corso is making moves, and thereB次元官网网址檚 a new breed in the mix.
Of course, purebreds are only part of the canine population in the U.S., where animal of all sorts of dogs last year. HereB次元官网网址檚 a snapshot:
TOP 10
After Frenchies, the most common breeds registered were Labs, golden retrievers, German shepherds and poodles. Then came dachshunds, bulldogs, beagles, Rottweilers and German shorthaired pointers.
All were also in the top 10 in 2022. A decade ago, Yorkshire terriers and boxers were in the group. Go back a half-century, and the third most popular breed was the Irish setter B次元官网网址� now 76th.
Pooch preferences shift for reasons ranging from (social and otherwise) to changing lifestyles as more Americans have moved to cities.
The statistics have limits. Registration is voluntary, the AKC releases few raw numbers, and the popularity rankings measure only the clubB次元官网网址檚 roughly 200 recognized breeds. They donB次元官网网址檛 include doodles, other deliberate hybrids or everyday mixed-breed dogs, though those can be registered as B次元官网网址渁ll-American dogsB次元官网网址� for such sports as and .
THE FRENCHIE MALAISE
Nearly 98,500 French bulldogs joined the AKC pack last year, after a whopping 108,000 in 2022.
The small, solidly built, push-faced dogs have a penchant for comically pensive expressions and often take city living in stride. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e interesting little beings,B次元官网网址� says Naneice Bucci, who has owned and shown them for decades.
The breed is now are a lightning rod for .
There are the foreshortened snouts that can result in labored breathing, gagging, difficulty with exercise and other ills B次元官网网址� concerns that prompted the Netherlands to ban breeding certain individual dogs with muzzles deemed too short. There are pet-store heists and violent robberies, at least . ThereB次元官网网址檚 a proliferation of Frenchies with unusual coat colors and textures, which have over longtime standards.
And thereB次元官网网址檚 concern among long-timers that the hot market for puppies is incentivizing people who are in it for greed, not the breed.
To Bucci, B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址檚 a very scary time.B次元官网网址�
As a B次元官网网址減reservation breederB次元官网网址� who follows AKC standards and conducts a battery of internationally recommended health tests before her dogs reproduce, she dreads that breeders who donB次元官网网址檛 do likewise may lead to crackdowns on everyone. And as a founder of Nevada French Bulldog Rescue, she also sees B次元官网网址渁ll of the underbelly of the people who breed indiscriminately.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淓very time we take in a Frenchie thatB次元官网网址檚 in terrible condition, yes, I get angry,B次元官网网址� says Bucci, who lives near Reno. B次元官网网址淏ut at the same time, I donB次元官网网址檛 want to be punished for trying to do it right.B次元官网网址�
DACHSHUND REDUX
Among other breeds, the unmistakable, low-slung dachshund is riding high at No. 6, its highest ranking since 2004. The dogs ranked as high as third at times in the 1950s-70s.
Their combination of sprightly cuteness, small size and determination B次元官网网址� they were originally bred to roust badgers B次元官网网址� . They also have a full-sized bark and a tendency toward stubbornness.
B次元官网网址淓ven though theyB次元官网网址檙e small, people have to remember: They are hounds,B次元官网网址� says Carole Krivanich of Milton, Delaware, whose nearly 15-year-old dachshund Mo is an agility and show champion. A longtime Rottweiler owner, sheB次元官网网址檚 found dachshunds to be B次元官网网址渧ery versatileB次元官网网址� and good companions.
ON A COURSE FOR PUP-ULARITY
The cane corso (pronounced CAHB次元官网网址�-neh COORB次元官网网址�-soh) is now 16th in the rankings, remarkable for a breed the AKC first started counting as recently as 2010. (Perhaps it helped that owners have included such figures as NBA great LeBron James and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback .)
The dogs are praised as protective, trainable and attached to their people. But the strong breed is B次元官网网址渘ot for somebody that doesnB次元官网网址檛 know how to control a dog,B次元官网网址� AKC spokesperson Brandi Hunter Munden says.
WHOB次元官网网址橲 NEW?
The debuts in the standings at 152nd most popular. But the large, long-eared bird-hunters arenB次元官网网址檛 exactly obscure. Country music power couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have shared the antics of their bracchi Italiani (thatB次元官网网址檚 the proper plural) on social media. A notched a first-round B次元官网网址渂est of breedB次元官网网址� win at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club dog show last year.
WHOB次元官网网址橲 FEW?
The was rarest among last yearB次元官网网址檚 registrations. Sometimes called Arabian greyhounds, the fleet, somewhat shy dogs .
GIMME SHELTER
While dogs from affenpinschers to Xoloitzcuintlis were bred last year, U.S. animal shelters were already . Shelters and rescue groups took in about 3.2 million dogs, while 2.2 million dogs were adopted, according to Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit that gathers shelter data.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渁 need for a renewed effort to make adoption a priority for the community,B次元官网网址� says the groupB次元官网网址檚 executive director, Stephanie Filer. Shelters have a wide variety of dogs to offer, including specific breeds, she notes.
Hunter Munden, the AKCB次元官网网址檚 spokesperson, has two rescue dogs and a purebred herself.
B次元官网网址淩escue is wonderful,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淗owever, we do understand that people want specific characteristics to fit their lifestyle, when it comes to dog ownership, and thatB次元官网网址檚 where purebred dogs come in.B次元官网网址�
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