By Associated Press
For the first time in three decades, the United States has a new favorite dog breed: adorable for some, deplorable for others, the French bulldog became the most popular pet in the country last year, thus dethroning the Labrador retriever, according to the announcement Wednesday the American Kennel Club (AKC, for its acronym in English).
"They are adorable, funny, friendly little dogs," said Patty Sosa, a spokeswoman for the French Bulldog Club of America.
The French bulldog is characterized by having a flat face and is considered a good companion. Shirlaine Forrest / Getty Images
According to Sosa, these animals are city dwellers, requiring little grooming and exercise.
"They offer a lot in a small package," she commented.
The popularity of these dogs - which a quarter of a century ago were not among the top 75 breeds in the country - has made them the targets of robberies, including the shooting death of a 76-year-old dog breeder in South Carolina and the attack suffered by a man who was walking the pets of the singer Lady Gaga in California.
The high demand for these dogs has triggered concerns that more people are starting to breed French bulldogs without knowledge just to make money.
On the other hand, the debate about the risks involved in this breed is booming, prone to respiratory complications, and spinal and eye problems, as well as skin diseases.
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The British Veterinary Association has advised against buying flat-faced animals such as French bulldogs and the Netherlands have banned their breeding - the Ministry of Agriculture is even in favor of banning them.
"French bulldogs can be a polarizing topic," said Dr. Carrie Stefaniak, a veterinarian in Glendale, Wisconsin, who is on the health committee for Club Frenchie, the nickname for the breed.
She has treated French bulldogs with respiratory difficulties and stresses that prospective owners should research breeders and inquire about the cost of any medical treatment they may need, which in many cases can cost thousands of dollars.
But he's not against the Frenchies.
He has two and has trained them to run on specialized circuits and go hiking.
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“These dogs can be very fit and very active,” Stefaniak noted, “they don't have to be sedentary dogs that can't breathe.”
The AKC's popularity ranking covers some 200 breeds from the country's oldest canine registry.
The statistics are based on nearly 716,500 puppies and other dogs registered last year, of which one in seven is a Frenchie.
The least registered breed is the English foxhound.
The classification does not take into account mixed breeds or, at least for now, Labradoodles, Puggles, Morkies and other popular "designer" hybrids.
The top ten most popular breeds in the country were French Bulldogs, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Poodles, Bulldogs, Rottweilers, Beagle, Dachshunds and German Shorthaired Pointers.
With roots in England and France, French bulldogs became fashionable among American elites in the early 20th century, but then fell out of favor.
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But the trend changed again a few years ago, thanks in part to social networks to celebrities who opted for this breed for their pets, such as actor Leonardo di Caprio, singer Megan Thee Stallion or congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez).
Last year some 108,000 French bulldogs were registered, 21,000 more than Labradors.
As a breeder and veterinarian, Dr. Lori Hunt sees Frenchies as ideal companions, but their popularity is in her opinion "a curse, not a blessing."
"They are being heavily exploited" by unscrupulous breeders, he denounced.
Veterinarian in Westlake (Ohio), she has seen many dogs of this breed with problems, although she rejects that they are animals destined to have health complications.
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Other breeds are prone to ailments ranging from hip dysplasia to cancer, and mixed-breed dogs can get sick too, experts say.
But a recently published study from Britain, involving 24,600 dogs, suggests that Frenchies have "very different and, to a large extent, much worse" health than other dogs, largely due to their foreshortened and wrinkled face. .
Taking these findings into account, the British Veterinary Association has stated that it "strongly advises" against buying flat-faced dogs and has campaigned to have them removed from advertisements and even greeting cards.
The American Veterinary Medical Association is studying ways to improve the well-being of flat-faced dogs, according to its president, Dr. Lori Teller.
