3-17-23 u.s. has new favorite dog breed

For the first time in three decades, the American Kennel Club says the U.S. has a new favorite dog breed. The club announced Wednesday that the French bulldog became the nation’s most prevalent purebred dog last year. Frenchies ousted Labrador retrievers from the top spot after a record 31 years. Owners describe the push-faced, perky-eared, droll little bulldogs as comical, friendly and loving companions. Yet their popularity worries fans and critics alike. Frenchies have been targeted in thefts, and there’s concern that demand is engendering quick-buck breeders and unhealthy dogs. Besides Frenchies and Labs, the AKC’s other top 10 breeds are golden retrievers, German shepherds, poodles, bulldogs, Rottweilers, beagles, dachshunds and German shorthaired pointers.   “French bulldogs can be a polarizing topic,” says Dr. Carrie Stefaniak, a Glendale, Wisconsin-based veterinarian who’s on the Frenchie club’s health committee.   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.
 

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