By JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — French bulldogs. U.S. dog owners. It’s love.
Frenchies continued to be the most commonly registered purebred dogs in the United States last year, according to American Kennel Club rankings released Wednesday. The club calls the Frenchie the most popular breed, although other dog groups may disagree.
Is it a victory to be celebrated? On the contrary, say long-time fans who regret what popularity is doing to the breed. Nevertheless, after overtaking Labrador retrievers to take the top spot in 2022, the bat-eared, scaled-down bulldogs remained in the new standings, which include puppies and other dogs added last year to the United States’ oldest dog registry.
Meanwhile, dachshunds are at a nearly two-decade peak, the cane corso is making moves, and there’s a new breed in the mix.
Of course, purebreds are only part of the dog population in the US, where animal shelters faced an influx of all kinds of dogs last year. Here’s a snapshot:
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 — now 76th.
Dog preferences change for reasons including media exposure (social and otherwise) and 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 club’s roughly 200 recognized breeds. They don’t include doodles, other deliberate hybrids, or everyday mixed-breed dogs, although those can be registered as “all-American dogs” for sports such as agility and obedience.
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 love for comically thoughtful expressions and often adapt well to city living. “They’re interesting little beings,” says Naneice Bucci, who has owned and shown them for decades.
The breed is now a lightning rod for canine controversy and cultural critique.
There are the shortened snouts that can result in difficult breathing, gagging, and trouble with exercise, among other issues — concerns that led the Netherlands to ban breeding certain individual dogs with muzzles deemed too short. There are pet-store thefts and violent robberies, at least one of them deadly. There’s an increase in Frenchies with unusual coat colors and textures, leading Frenchie enthusiasts to argue over long-standing standards.
And there’s worry among long-time supporters that the hot market for puppies is encouraging people who are in it for greed, rather than for the breed.
To Bucci, “it’s a very scary time.”
As a “preservation breeder” who follows AKC standards and conducts a battery of internationally recommended health tests before her dogs reproduce, she fears that breeders who don’t do the same may lead to sanctions for everyone. And as a founder of Nevada French Bulldog Rescue, she also sees “all of the underbelly of the people who breed indiscriminately.”
“Each time we rescue a French bulldog that’s in terrible condition, yes, I become upset,” says Bucci, who lives near Reno. “But at the same time, I don’t want to be penalized for attempting to do it correctly.”
Among other types of dogs, the unmistakable, short-legged dachshund is currently ranked at No. 6, its highest position since 2004. The dogs reached as high as third place at times between the 1950s and 1970s.
Their mix of lively adorableness, small size and determination — they were originally bred to flush out badgers — make them appealing to many. They also have a full-sized bark and a tendency toward stubbornness.
“Even though they’re small, people have to remember: They are hounds,” says Carole Krivanich of Milton, Delaware, whose nearly 15-year-old dachshund Mo is an agility and show champion. A longtime Rottweiler owner, she’s found dachshunds to be “very versatile” and good companions.
The cane corso (pronounced CAH’-neh COOR’-soh) is now 16th in the rankings, remarkable for a breed the AKC first started counting as recently as 2010. (Maybe it helped that owners have included such figures as NBA great LeBron James and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.)
The dogs are praised as protective, trainable and devoted to their people. But the strong breed is “not for somebody that doesn’t know how to control a dog,” AKC spokesperson Brandi Hunter Munden says.
The bracco Italiano debuts in the standings at 152nd most popular. But the large, long-eared bird-hunters aren’t exactly obscure. Country music power couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have shared the antics of their bracchi Italiani (that’s the proper plural) on social media. A bracco co-owned by McGraw notched a first-round “best of breed” win at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club dog show last year.
The sloughi was rarest among last year’s registrations. Sometimes called Arabian greyhounds, the fleet, somewhat shy dogs joined the AKC pack in 2016.
While dogs from affenpinschers to Xoloitzcuintlis were bred last year, U.S. animal shelters were already overflowing with dogs and cats. 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 collects shelter data.
There’s “a need for a renewed effort to make adoption a priority for the community,” says the group’s executive director, Stephanie Filer. Shelters have a wide variety of dogs to offer, including specific breeds, she notes.
Hunter Munden, the AKC’s spokesperson, has two rescue dogs and a purebred herself.
“Rescue is wonderful,” she said. “However, we do understand that people want specific characteristics to fit their lifestyle, when it comes to dog ownership, and that’s where purebred dogs come in.”
