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VOA文化艺术2022--拉布拉多寻回犬仍然是美国人的首选

时间:2022-03-22 03:10:36

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Labrador Retriever Is Still Top Dog

Even though Labrador retrievers are still the United States' number 1 dog for over three decades, the active and intelligent poodle has made a strong return to the top 10 since 1997. The American Kennel1 Club's rankings of popular dog breeds just came out with some surprising results. While dog breeding is still a debatable topic, purebreds and mixes are still increasing in popularity.

The American Kennel Club is a nonprofit organization recognized for its knowledge of dog breeds, training and health. The AKC held its yearly rankings on the most popular breeds from last year's list of almost 800,000 purebred puppies and dogs.

Labrador retrievers are still America's number one choice after 31 years, but there were some surprising results. Poodles have not been in the top ten for 25 years. Now, they have moved to 5th place.

The Top 10

In all, there were 197 breeds featured. The top 10 includes: Dachshunds (#10), German shorthaired pointers (#9), Rottweilers (#8), beagles (#7), bulldogs (#6), poodles (#5), German shepherds (#4), golden retrievers (#3), French bulldogs (#2) and Labrador retrievers, also called ‘labs' (#1).

Plenty of poodles

Poodles of all sizes ruled as most popular dog for 22 years between 1960 and 1982, before decreasing in popularity. Now, they have regained2 a top spot for the first time in almost 25 years.

Poodles are intelligent dogs that were used throughout history to find fresh water.

They are very active and complex, plus they are good companions for people with allergies3. Poodles can provide support for people in hospitals and work as guide dogs for people who cannot see. They can hunt and even compete in obedience4, or other dog sports.

Poodles easily remember past behavior and can create high expectations for their owners.

What about doodles?

Doodles are a popular mix of poodle and another dog breed. Examples of doodles include: golden doodles, a mixture of golden retriever and poodle; Labradoodles, a blend of Labrador retrievers and poodles; and even maltipoos, a combination of Maltese and poodle.

The AKC governs many dogshows in the United States. It has not yet agreed that the doodle is a breed.

Brandi Hunter is a spokesperson for the AKC. She says that doodle lovers are trying to find a way to have the animal recognized as a breed.

The main requirement for recognition is creating a list of traits for the breed that become required.

"The predictability is one of the things that draws people to purebred dogs," Hunter explains.

Breeds moving up the list

Although the list of popular dogs does not change much from one year to the next, over time, big changes can happen. Since 2000, eight breeds have slowly moved into the top 25, such as the Great Dane and the Pembroke Welsh corgi.

Some dog breeds have quickly entered the top 25 like French bulldogs and the cane5 corso, which was not part of the AKC until 2010.

The cane corso moved from 51st to 21st within 11 years.

Cane corsos are very large dogs. Their ancestors are from the Italian countryside, and they were used as farm defenders6 that could pull small carts and also hunt. This interesting breed also competes in competitions and can be seen on TV shows and music videos.

Dog breeding arguments

Voluntary purebred registrations7 have increased 45 percent in the last 10 years. Many animals-rights activists8 say that there are some problems with breeders. Activists claim the breeders are more concerned about the appearance rather than the health of the dogs.

They say creating purebreds supports puppy mills and increases the amount of dogs left in shelters.

The AKC has defended itself and their partner breed clubs by saying they are concerned about dog health and breeding practices. The AKC says that correct breeding has a purpose. It creates dogs with acceptable traits, like size and ability to smell. These traits help humans and fit different owner lifestyles.

Words in This Story

purebred – adj. born from the same type as their parents

allergies – n. the body's reaction to something that it is sensitive to

obedience – n. observation an order, request, or law

fuss – v. to show too much attention

puppy mills – n. places where small dogs are bred without care for the animals and with bad living conditions


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1 kennel axay6     
n.狗舍,狗窝
参考例句:
  • Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
  • Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。
2 regained 51ada49e953b830c8bd8fddd6bcd03aa     
复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 ); 赢回; 重回; 复至某地
参考例句:
  • The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
  • She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻,但很快恢复了镇静。
3 allergies 2c527dd68e63f119442f4352f2a0b950     
n.[医]过敏症;[口]厌恶,反感;(对食物、花粉、虫咬等的)过敏症( allergy的名词复数 );变态反应,变应性
参考例句:
  • Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
  • Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句
4 obedience 8vryb     
n.服从,顺从
参考例句:
  • Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
  • Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。
5 cane RsNzT     
n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的
参考例句:
  • This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
  • English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。
6 defenders fe417584d64537baa7cd5e48222ccdf8     
n.防御者( defender的名词复数 );守卫者;保护者;辩护者
参考例句:
  • The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众,只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 registrations d53ddf87a983739d49e0da0c1fa64925     
n.登记( registration的名词复数 );登记项目;登记(或注册、挂号)人数;(管风琴)音栓配合(法)
参考例句:
  • In addition to the check-in procedures, the room clerks are customarily responsible for recording advance registrations. 除了办理住宿手续外,客房登记员按惯例还负责预约登记。 来自辞典例句
  • Be the Elekta expert for products registrations in China. 成为在中国注册产品的医科达公司专家。 来自互联网
8 activists 90fd83cc3f53a40df93866d9c91bcca4     
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
  • Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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