Current:Home > reviewsMeet the newest breed to join the American Kennel Club, a little dog with a big smile -GrowthProspect
Meet the newest breed to join the American Kennel Club, a little dog with a big smile
Rekubit View
Date:2025-04-11 09:14:10
NEW YORK (AP) — It’s small in stature, big on activity and known for a “smile,” and it’s ready to compete with 200 other dog breeds.
Say hello to the Lancashire heeler, the latest breed recognized by the American Kennel Club. The organization announced Wednesday that the rare herding breed is now eligible for thousands of U.S. dog shows, including the prominent Westminster Kennel Club show.
With long bodies and short coats that are often black an tan, the solidly built dogs are shaped a bit like a downsized corgi, standing around 1 foot (30 centimeters) at the shoulder and weighing up to about 17 pounds (7.7 kilograms). Historically, they were farm helpers that could both drive cattle and rout rats, and today they participate in an array of canine sports and pursuits.
“They’re gritty little dogs, and they’re very intelligent little dogs,” says Patricia Blankenship of Flora, Mississippi, who has bred them for over a decade. “It’s an enjoyable little breed to be around.”
Their official description — or breed standard, in dog-world parlance — calls for them to be “courageous, happy, affectionate to owner,” and owners say contented heelers sometimes pull back their lips in a “smile.”
They’re “extremely versatile,” participating in everything from scent work to dock diving contests, says United States Lancashire Heeler Club President Sheryl Bradbury. But she advises that a Lancashire heeler “has to have a job,” whether it’s an organized dog sport or simply walks and fetch with its owners.
The dogs benefit from meeting various different people and canines, added Bradbury, who breeds them in Plattsmouth, Nebraska.
Lancashire heelers go back centuries in the United Kingdom, where they’re now deemed a “vulnerable native breed” at risk of dying out in their homeland. Britain’s Kennel Club has added an average of just 121 Lancashire heelers annually to its registry in recent years, and the American Kennel Club says only about 5,000 exist worldwide.
Founded in 1884, the AKC is the United States’ oldest purebred dog registry and functions like a league for many canine competitions, including sports open to mixed-breeds and purebreds. But only the 201 recognized breeds vie for the traditional “best in show” trophies at Westminster and elsewhere.
To get recognized, a breed must count at least 300 pedigreed dogs, distributed through at least 20 states, and fanciers must agree on a breed standard. Recognition is voluntary, and some breeds’ aficionados approach other kennel clubs or none at all.
Adding breeds, or even perpetuating them, bothers animal rights activists. They argue that dog breeding powers puppy mills, reduces pet adoptions and accentuates canine health problems by compressing genetic diversity.
The AKC says it promotes responsibly “breeding for type and function” to produce dogs with special skills, such as tracking lost people, as well as pets with characteristics that owners can somewhat predict and prepare for. The club has given over $32 million since 1995 to a foundation that underwrites canine health research.
veryGood! (51)
Related
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Millie Bobby Brown Dives Deep Into How Fiancé Jake Bongiovi Proposed
- Viral article used AI to create photo of Disney World's Cinderella Castle on fire
- Oregon lawmakers pass bill to recriminalize drug possession
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Confessions of a continuity cop
- U.S. health officials drop 5-day isolation time for COVID-19
- Joey Votto says he's had 10 times more analyst job offers than playing offers
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- U.S. interest payments on its debt are set to exceed defense spending. Should we be worried?
Ranking
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- What is Super Tuesday? Why it matters and what to watch
- US Department of Ed begins probe into gender-based harassment at Nex Benedict’s school district
- Social media is giving men ‘bigorexia,' or muscle dysmorphia. We need to talk about it.
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- You'll Want to Check Out Justin Bieber's New Wax Figure More Than One Time
- Got COVID? CDC says stay home while you're sick, but drops its 5-day isolation rule
- What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, listening and reading
Recommendation
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Kansas City Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman denies leaking New York Jets' game plans
Russian disinformation is about immigration. The real aim is to undercut Ukraine aid
Big Brother’s Memphis Garrett and Christmas Abbott Break Up After Less Than 2 Years of Marriage
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
In Georgia, a bill to cut all ties with the American Library Association is advancing
Suspended Heat center Thomas Bryant gets Nuggets championship ring, then leaves arena
New Giants manager Bob Melvin gets his man as team strikes deal with third baseman Matt Chapman