Rare Dog Breeds

Why is a Breed Considered Rare?

Though the American Kennel Club officially recognizes many breeds, others stand waiting in the wings, hoping to some day gain that recognition and all the opportunities and benefits that come with full membership in the AKC.

In short, rare dog breeds have populations that are too low to be considered seriously by the AKC, so if breeders want to achieve official recognition of their animals, each group of rare breed fanciers must organize themselves as a specific breed club and apply to have their dogs temporarily registered through the AKC's Foundation Stock Service (FSS). This service will help them build up an offical registry of all dogs of that particular breed, tracking the population growth as well as creating a pedigree database to record the breed's lineage.

There are a number of FSS conditions and goals to be met along the way, but if the breed club is successful, they will eventually be eligible for full AKC registration and participation in all AKC shows and events.

AKC List of Rare Dog Breeds

Below is the current list of rare breeds registered with the Foundation Stock Service. A few of the names may be familiar to you, and some of the breed photos may look quite a bit like some of the currently recognized AKC breeds. That is likely because some of these dogs are foundation breeds of others or share their own foundations with some of the currently recognized breeds. Whatever the case may be, their numbers have become sufficiently low for breeders to take an interest in ensuring the survival of these dogs.

AKC Recognition Not Desired by All

On the other side of the coin, some rare breeds do not wish to be recognized by the AKC, prefering to maintain their own breeding programs and sometimes holding their own dog show events. The main reason for this? Many times popularity comes with the attention gained by full AKC recognition. Suddenly, many people want a puppy from the new breed, driving the price of a pet up as supply collides with demand. Then indisciminant breeders seeking to get in on the gravy train begin acquiring specimens for mass breeding, in order to cash in while the popularity lasts. The result? The quality of the pups goes down as the numbers go up because these breeders are breeding for a quick cash return, not healthy pups of quality and type. Sadly, many of these puppies wind up in shelters and breed rescues when their owners find they can no longer afford to care for them.

Poodles are just one example of what can happen when a breed receives a sudden spike in popularity. As soon as indiscriminant breeders started to flood the market, aberrations such as dwarfism in Toy Poodles appeared, along with a host of genetic problems that dedicated and diligent breeders are still trying to irradicate to this day.

The Moral of the Story

Be careful what you wish for. Rare dog breeds have as much to loose as they stand to gain when recogniton and popularity are finally achieved.

External Links

• The American Kennel Club