Labrador Retriever Still Top Dog in US, French Bulldog in Second
2021-03-22
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1Could the cute little French bulldog become America's favorite purebred?
2That honor has gone to the Labrador retriever for 30 straight years.
3But a new report from American Kennel Club, a registry of purebred dogs in the United States, shows the French bulldog is now nipping at the Labrador's heels.
4Every year, the AKC releases a list of the most popular purebred dogs in the U.S.
5The Labrador retriever did keep its number-one position on the 2020 list, which the AKC released Wednesday.
6But French bulldogs are now the Labs' closest competition, after jumping from fourth place to second last year.
7Famous Frenchie owners include business leader Martha Stewart, music star Lady Gaga and actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
8Their influence may have helped grow the breed's popularity.
9The French bulldog has short legs and a thick body.
10Its nose and mouth look as if they have been pushed up and flattened on its face.
11Frenchies have short hair and big, round eyes.
12They do have some limitations, however.
13AKC spokesperson Brandi Hunter says French bulldogs are not the best for long walks or other high-energy activities.
14But she said they are a good choice if you want a dog that will "snuggle up" with you.
15Immediately following the French bulldog on the popularity list are German shepherds.
16In fourth place is the golden retriever.
17Bulldogs, poodles, beagles, Rottweilers and German shorthaired pointers, in that order, make up the next five positions on the list.
18And the 10th most popular purebred dog in America is the Dachshund, a long-bodied and short-legged canine that some say looks like a hot dog.
19The breed had not appeared in the top 10 since 2013.
20Labs still remain most popular by a wide lead.
21More than 98,300 Labs joined the AKC's registry last year, compared to about 66,500 French bulldogs.
22German shepherds are solidly popular at the number three position.
23And, the breed is enjoying a little more attention than usual.
24American President Joe Biden and his wife Jill are the owners of German shepherds Champ and Major.
25The dogs moved to Washington in January.
26However, earlier this month, Major lightly bit a Secret Service agent at the White House.
27Both dogs are temporarily back at the Biden family home in Delaware.
28The agent was not badly injured.
29The poodle breed may also have a claim as America's "top dog."
30A poodle named Siba won the highly respected Westminster Kennel Club dog show last year.
31The yearly competition takes place in June in New York City.
32However, COVID-19 has led organizers to move the 2021 show to an outdoor area in Tarrytown, New York.
33More than 190 breeds recognized by the AKC are included in the popularity list.
34Two new breeds entered the list in 2020.
35The dogo Argentino entered the list at number 93.
36And a breed called barbet placed 145th.
37The rarest AKC registered breed in America is the Norwegian lundehund.
38The middle-sized dog has dense fur and pointy ears.
39It was bred to hunt birds called puffins.
40The lundehund is unusually skillful.
41It can bend its body more fully than any other breed.
42This helps it enter narrow passages in cliffs where the birds take shelter.
43The dog can also climb extremely steep rocks.
44But its strangest quality?
45The Norwegian lundehound has six fully formed toes on each foot.
46Some of them have even more than six.
47I'm Caty Weaver.
1Could the cute little French bulldog become America's favorite purebred? 2That honor has gone to the Labrador retriever for 30 straight years. But a new report from American Kennel Club, a registry of purebred dogs in the United States, shows the French bulldog is now nipping at the Labrador's heels. 3Every year, the AKC releases a list of the most popular purebred dogs in the U.S. The Labrador retriever did keep its number-one position on the 2020 list, which the AKC released Wednesday. But French bulldogs are now the Labs' closest competition, after jumping from fourth place to second last year. 4Famous Frenchie owners include business leader Martha Stewart, music star Lady Gaga and actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Their influence may have helped grow the breed's popularity. 5The French bulldog has short legs and a thick body. Its nose and mouth look as if they have been pushed up and flattened on its face. Frenchies have short hair and big, round eyes. 6They do have some limitations, however. 7AKC spokesperson Brandi Hunter says French bulldogs are not the best for long walks or other high-energy activities. But she said they are a good choice if you want a dog that will "snuggle up" with you. 8Immediately following the French bulldog on the popularity list are German shepherds. In fourth place is the golden retriever. Bulldogs, poodles, beagles, Rottweilers and German shorthaired pointers, in that order, make up the next five positions on the list. And the 10th most popular purebred dog in America is the Dachshund, a long-bodied and short-legged canine that some say looks like a hot dog. The breed had not appeared in the top 10 since 2013. 9Labs still remain most popular by a wide lead. More than 98,300 Labs joined the AKC's registry last year, compared to about 66,500 French bulldogs. 10German shepherds are solidly popular at the number three position. And, the breed is enjoying a little more attention than usual. American President Joe Biden and his wife Jill are the owners of German shepherds Champ and Major. 11The dogs moved to Washington in January. However, earlier this month, Major lightly bit a Secret Service agent at the White House. Both dogs are temporarily back at the Biden family home in Delaware. The agent was not badly injured. 12The poodle breed may also have a claim as America's "top dog." A poodle named Siba won the highly respected Westminster Kennel Club dog show last year. 13The yearly competition takes place in June in New York City. However, COVID-19 has led organizers to move the 2021 show to an outdoor area in Tarrytown, New York. 14Who's in, who's out and who's new 15More than 190 breeds recognized by the AKC are included in the popularity list. Two new breeds entered the list in 2020. 16The dogo Argentino entered the list at number 93. And a breed called barbet placed 145th. 17Bringing up the rare 18The rarest AKC registered breed in America is the Norwegian lundehund. The middle-sized dog has dense fur and pointy ears. It was bred to hunt birds called puffins. 19The lundehund is unusually skillful. It can bend its body more fully than any other breed. This helps it enter narrow passages in cliffs where the birds take shelter. The dog can also climb extremely steep rocks. 20But its strangest quality? The Norwegian lundehound has six fully formed toes on each foot. Some of them have even more than six. 21I'm Caty Weaver. 22The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 23_______________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25cute -n. having a pleasing and usually youthful appearance 26purebred -n. an animal that has parents of the same breed 27nipping at the heels -idiom to be almost as good as your closest competitor 28snuggle up -phrasal verb to lie or sit close together in a comfortable position 29hot dog -n. a small cooked sausage that is mild in flavor and is usually served in a long roll 30cliff -n. a high, steep surface of rock, earth, or ice 31steep -adj. almost straight up and down: rising or falling very sharply 32We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.