The American Kennel Club (AKC) has officially recognized another dog breed in its registry of dogs.
The AKC is the oldest dog registry in the United States. The organization has now welcomed the bracco Italiano to the group.
The ancient Italian bird-hunting dog is the 200th member of the club, the organization announced. That means the powerful but good-natured pointers can now compete at many U.S. dog shows for best in show. That includes the famous Westminster Kennel Club event in New York state.
The European breed goes back more than 200 years. The AKC said it was brought to America in the 1990s. It is sometimes called the Italian pointer or Italian pointing dog.
The bracco should be “tough and adapted to all types of hunting, reliable, docile and intelligent,” the AKC said. It added that the breed is also friendly and not aggressive.
“They’re very easy to live with and be around,” said bracco owner and breeder Lisa Moller of Portage, Wisconsin. But they are also ready, she said, “when it’s time to jump in the back of the truck and go hunting, and they’ve got a job…”
She and her husband Dale had depended on Labrador retrievers to help them hunt birds called pheasants. But, about five years ago, they met a bracco. The two noted the dog's methodical way of hunting in the field and sweet nature at home: “They're very Velcro,” Lisa Moller said.
Velcro is a material that attaches one thing to another.
Moller said bracchi Italiani have a deep bark and readily deploy it on sensing wildlife; so, “they may not be the right dog for everybody.”
AKC Executive Secretary Gina DiNardo called the bracco a great dog for active families who can provide “the love and attention it needs.”
The AKC opened the nation's oldest dog registry with nine breeds in 1878. In the last 10 years, the club has added over 20 breeds.
There remain many breeds that are registered in other places but not by the AKC or are not formally recognized at all. Some dog lovers do not want the exposure that AKC recognition brings to a breed.
Animal rights activists denounce dog breeding. They argue that adding more breeds just increases demand for purebred animals and the factory-like business that produces them.
The AKC says it supports responsible breeding. It says the goal is to keep important qualities of dogs that enable them to perform different kinds of activities. And, the group says, that can ease owners' search for a dog they can live with long-term.
I’m Caty Weaver.
The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English.
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Words in This Story
breed –n a kind of animal that has been produced by special breeding to produce babies with the same qualities
tough –adj. able to do hard work
adapt –v. to change behavior to meet new conditions in a good way
type –n. a particular kind or group of things
reliable–adj dependable
docile –adj. easily taught, led or controlled
exposure –n. public attention or notice
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