They’re ready to embark on 2026.
The American Kennel Club said three dog breeds were added to its roster of recognized breeds on Tuesday, a change that makes them eligible for many U.S. dog shows and is expected to raise their visibility among pet owners. Among the newcomers are three distinctly different backgrounds: a fawn-colored French hound, a toy dog associated with Cold War-era Russia, and a terrier named for President Theodore Roosevelt.
AKC’s roster already includes 205 breeds, and Tuesday’s additions expand that list further for the coming show year. For new breeds to gain recognition, the AKC relies on a multi-year pathway that includes breeding history, documentation and consensus building among breed participants, rather than acknowledging popular mixes quickly. The club also said it does not cap how many breeds it might eventually recognize.
One of the new entries is the basset fauve de Bretagne, a compact, sociable hound that the AKC describes as hardy and capable of hunting for long stretches while also requiring mental and physical activity. The breed’s base-of-neck height ranges from 12.5 to 15.5 inches, with weight described as 23 to 39 pounds. The AP report also traced the breed’s versions to at least 16th-century French aristocratic circles and noted that in the U.S. recent years, Cindy Hartman of South Carolina has championed the breed after bringing home fauve puppies from France in 2001.
Hartman said her experience training fauves as medical alert dogs for people with diabetes includes both their intelligence and their limits for certain owners. She described them as “wicked smart,” adding: “They’re wicked smart, and so if you’re wanting a dog that’s just going to lay around all day long, a fauve is not for you,” Hartman said. She continued: “But yet, when challenged mentally and physically, they’re happy to come in with you and curl up on the sofa for the evening.”
The second newcomer is the Teddy Roosevelt terrier, a solid, energetic small dog the AKC says can help rid barns of rodents and also alert owners to strangers while taking part in dog sports. The AP report described its base-of-neck height as 8 to 14 inches and weight as 8 to 25 pounds. AKC recognizes the breed as its own in 1999, describing it as originally seen as a short-legged variant of the rat terrier, and said the breed’s name reflects President Theodore Roosevelt’s fondness for dogs, including terriers.
The breed’s temperament and training potential were highlighted by Cindy Rickey, secretary of the American Teddy Roosevelt Terrier Club. Rickey said, “They know how to get you to laugh,” and described how her Teddy competes in obedience, even though “They’re terriers, no doubt about it, but they also have this tremendous desire to please,” she explained.
The third newly recognized breed is the Russian tsvetnaya bolonka, a small companion described as sweet but clever and interested in playful interaction as well as snuggling. The AP report described its base-of-neck height as up to 10¼ inches and weight as 7 to 9 pounds. The breed’s background, the report said, traces to Soviet-era Leningrad after World War II, where it was developed as a pet for apartment dwellers. American bolonka fans have also worked since the early 2000s to establish the proper plural form, “bolonki,” in the U.S.
Denise Dang, secretary of the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka Club of America, described what owning the breed can feel like for families and what care the coat can require. Dang said, “Having a bolonka is like having a 3-year-old kid running around your house. … They can enjoy their time lying on the couch with you, but you’ve got to be prepared to play with them and keep them entertained.” She added that owners need to manage a thick, wavy coat that is low-shedding but can get matted, and said even if the coat is cut fairly short, “a bath every couple of weeks is wise,” Dang told AP.
The AKC said adding breeds is not simply about expanding lists for their own sake. Spokesperson Brandi Hunter Munden said the club is not “adding dogs indiscriminately,” and described the policy instead as “providing ‘an established framework for growth, breed standards, competition and education in the U.S.’”
The new recognitions arrive amid continuing criticism from animal-rights groups about kennel-club breeding influence. The AP report said animal-rights activists have long deplored dog breeding and the AKC’s support of it, and that criticism hardened this year into a lawsuit over the health of French bulldogs, pugs, dachshunds and Chinese shar-peis. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is seeking a court order to stop the AKC from continuing to promote the current “standards,” or ideal characteristics, for those breeds, and PETA accused the kennel club of providing “blueprints for the breeding of deformed, unhealthy dogs.”
The AKC denies those allegations and has asked a court to dismiss the case, calling the suit frivolous. The club said it “has been — and remains — firmly committed to the health, well-being and proper treatment of all dogs.”