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. The AKC's top 10 were: French bulldogs, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, German shepherds, poodles, bulldogs, Rottweilers, beagles, dachshunds and German shorthaired pointers. The rankings don’t count mixed-breeds or, at least for now, Labradoodles, puggles, Morkies and other popular “designer” hybrids. The most rarely owned? English foxhounds. The stats are based on nearly 716,500 puppies and other dogs newly registered last year - about 1 in every 7 of them a Frenchie. The AKC's popularity rankings cover about 200 breeds in the nation’s oldest canine registry. “They don’t have to be sedentary dogs that can't breathe.” “These dogs can be very fit, can be very active,” Stefaniak said. She owns two and has conditioned them to run agility courses and take hilly hikes. 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.īut she's no Frenchie foe. Carrie Stefaniak, a Glendale, Wisconsin-based veterinarian who's on the Frenchie club's health committee. “French bulldogs can be a polarizing topic,” says Dr. The Netherlands has prohibited breeding very short-snouted dogs, and the country's agriculture minister aims to outlaw even owning them. The British Veterinary Association has urged people not to buy flat-faced breeds, such as Frenchies. ![]() ![]() The breed's popularity is sharpening debate over whether there's anything healthy about propagating dogs prone to breathing, spinal, eye, and skin conditions. ![]() There’s concern that demand, plus the premium that some buyers will pay for “exotic” coat colors and textures, is engendering quick-buck breeders and unhealthy dogs. The buzzy little bulldogs have been targeted in thefts, including last month's fatal shooting of a 76-year-old South Carolina breeder and the 2021 shooting of a California dog walker who was squiring singer Lady Gaga's pets. Yet the Frenchie's dizzying rise - it wasn't even a top-75 breed a quarter-century ago - worries its fans, to say nothing of its critics. City-friendly, with modest grooming and exercise needs, she says, “they offer a lot in a small package.” “They’re comical, friendly, loving little dogs,” says French Bull Dog Club of America spokesperson Patty Sosa. Frenchies ousted Labrador retrievers from the top spot after a record 31 years. has a new favorite dog breed, according to the American Kennel Club.Īdorable in some eyes, deplorable in others, the sturdy, push-faced, perky-eared, world-weary-looking and distinctively droll French bulldog became the nation's most prevalent purebred dog last year, the club announced Wednesday. NEW YORK - For the first time in three decades, the U.S.
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