American Kennel Club Welcomes the Bracco Italiano

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American Kennel¹ Club Welcomes the Bracco Italiano

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, docile² 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 noted³ 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 deploy⁴ 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 activists⁵ 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.

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

1 kennel   

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 docile   

adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的

参考例句：

• Circus monkeys are trained to be very docile and obedient.马戏团的猴子训练得服服贴贴的。
• He is a docile and well-behaved child.他是个温顺且彬彬有礼的孩子。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

5 activists   

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》